WORK AND PENSIONS

Pension Credit: Savings

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to amend the 10 per cent. rule on savings when calculating pension credit.

Rosie Winterton: Tariff income rules provide a simple method of calculating the contribution people with £6,000 of capital are expected to make and does not reflect any rate of return.
	80 per cent. of pension credit recipients are unaffected by the tariff income rules.

Incapacity Benefit

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for future arrangements for assistance offered by his Department to long-term recipients of incapacity benefit.

James Purnell: We have already invested heavily to support existing incapacity benefit customers into work, by ensuring they can volunteer for any appropriate back to work support available in Pathways to Work. Our recent White Paper announced a strong package of new initiatives to provide further support to this group, including pilots of new innovative approaches such as the 'invest to save' pathfinders recommended by David Freud.

Jobcentre Plus

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps Jobcentre Plus is taking to help unemployed people find jobs.

Tony McNulty: Everyone who becomes unemployed has access to the thousands of jobs on the Jobcentre Plus website or through the jobs helpline. Despite the recent increases in claimants, 70 per cent. of customers are seen within three days of claiming for discussions about help in finding work.
	Local Employment Partnerships are being extended to cover all unemployed customers. And from April, Jobcentre Plus will be introducing extra help for people who have been unemployed for six months or more.

Youth Unemployment

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on levels of unemployment among 18 to 24 year olds; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Despite recent increases the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants aged 18 to 24 is still 13.3 per cent. lower than in May 1997 and long term youth claimant unemployment has fallen by 73.4 per cent.
	Since (February to April) 1997 the number of 18 to 24 ILO unemployed has risen 124,000 to 614,000. The number of 18 to 24-year-olds who have been ILO unemployed for more than six months is 200,000, down 10,000 since 1997.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what projection he has made of the number of people who will have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for over 12 months by October 2009.

Tony McNulty: Of all new jobseeker's allowance claims, over 50 per cent. leave within three months, and around 75 per cent. by six months, demonstrating the effectiveness of the JSA regime.
	Based on the unemployment assumption published at the pre-Budget report, we estimate that in 2009-10 there will be an average of 190,000 claimants of jobseeker's allowance who will have been claiming for over 12 months. These figures are planning assumptions only, and do not reflect an official view of numbers of unemployed people, or the duration of unemployment. They are based on the HM Treasury unemployment assumption, which is an average of several independent unemployment forecasts. An update to this assumption will be published at the Budget.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged between 18 and 24 years are claiming jobseeker's allowance in  (a) Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency and  (b) the UK.

Tony McNulty: The number of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK claiming jobseeker's allowance in December 2008 was 355,300.
	In Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey the number of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming jobseeker's allowance was 315.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answers of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1997W, on jobseeker's allowance, what research analysis his Department has undertaken on the proportion of time jobseeker's allowance claimants spent  (a) on benefits and  (b) not on benefits or in work over a set period of time, including claimants with more than one benefit claim in the last five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 15 December 2008
	The published research available is in the Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No. 394, 'Repeat Jobseeker's Allowance Spells by Hannah Carpenter' (a copy of which has been placed in the Library), which found that 54 per cent. of people who claimed jobseeker's allowance between July 2003 and June 2004 were repeat claimants. They had spent an average one year out of the previous four on jobseeker's allowance, although the length of spells on benefit varied widely. A quarter of repeat claimants had been on other benefits in the previous four years.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the highest number of repeat claims made for jobseeker's allowance is;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people flowing on to jobseeker's allowance in the last 12 months who have made  (a) no,  (b) between one and five,  (c) between six and 10,  (d) between 11 and 20 and  (e) over 20 previous claims for jobseeker's allowance.

Tony McNulty: The information is not routinely collected and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed jobseeker's allowance for  (a) five,  (b) six,  (c) seven,  (d) eight,  (e) nine and  (f) 10 or more years.

Tony McNulty: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's allowance claimants at May 2008 by duration 
			   Number 
			 5 years 1,630 
			 6 years 950 
			 7 years 680 
			 8 years 410 
			 9 years 560 
			 10 years or more 990 
			  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

National Minimum Wage

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the effects of the national minimum wage on levels of unemployment.

Tony McNulty: Ministers hold regular meetings to discuss the impacts of departmental policies on the economy.

Carer's Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's estimate is of the cost to the public purse of introducing a withdrawal rate for carer's allowance of  (a) 10 per cent.,  (b) 20 per cent.,  (c) 30 per cent.,  (d) 40 per cent.,  (e) 50 per cent.,  (f) 60 per cent.,  (g) 70 per cent.,  (h) 80 per cent. and  (i) 90 per cent. that would take effect at the current earnings limit in each of the next six years.

Jonathan R Shaw: We do not have estimates available for the costs of introducing these policy changes.

Child Support

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the performance of the child support system.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission took over responsibility for the Child Maintenance System on 1 November 2008.
	The latest figures show that the Commission collected and arranged a record £1.1 billion maintenance in the 12 months to December 2008, and is on track to further increase the amount of maintenance collected by the end of this year.
	The reforms we have already made to the child maintenance system, including the introduction of a full child maintenance disregard in April 2010, will lift around 100,000 children out of poverty. But more is needed to tackle those parents who wilfully refuse to support their children—this is why we have also introduced proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill to give the Commission the power to remove passports and driving licence from those parents who wilfully refuse to take responsibility for their children.

Child Poverty

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the level of child poverty; and what plans he has to reduce it.

Kitty Ussher: The number of children in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income (before housing costs) in the United Kingdom in 2006-07 (latest information available) is 2.9 million, down 600,000 from 1997 and expected to reduce by a further 500,000 as a result of measures already announced.
	On 28 January we launched the consultation, 'Ending Child Poverty: Making it Happen', ahead of a child poverty Bill that will enshrine in legislation the Government's promise to eradicate child poverty by 2020. The Bill will provide a framework to guarantee that Government and delivery partners at all levels make a clear contribution towards ending child poverty.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of contractors and suppliers to  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies has reported compliance with the Government's security standards following publication of the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government, and the accompanying document, Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action, on 25 June 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: Data security is taken very seriously by the Department and is a key priority for its commercial team who are in regular contact with its suppliers and contractors at both senior managerial and operational levels. The Department has incorporated the new Office of Government Commerce model contract clauses relating to data security into new contracts. All relevant suppliers have been informed of the requirements. 98 per cent. of suppliers have confirmed that they are fully compliant. The Department is actively working with the remaining suppliers and has action plans in place to achieve 100 per cent. compliance.

Departmental Data Protection

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental data protection, what the names of the  (a) Senior Information Risk Owner and  (b) Information Asset Owners are.

Jonathan R Shaw: The names of the Department's  (a) Senior Information Risk Owner, and  (b) Information Asset Owners, are as follows.
	 (a) Senior Information Risk Owner: R. Heaton.
	 (b) Information Asset Owners: N. Cheetham; J. Doherty; S. Furse; R. Ginn; P. Greening; S. McKinnon-Evans; R. Molan; J. Oliver; H. Orme; J. Perryer; K. Roberts; D. Smith; M. Whitehouse.

Departmental ICT

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for his Department to achieve capability maturity model integration level 3 and beyond.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has already achieved capability maturity model integration (CMMI) level 2 and plans to achieve level 3 for the new CMMI for Acquisition model in the next year. The new standard, applies to the management of outsourced IT services which conforms more closely to the Department's approach. Our plans include the development of new processes and standard products at project, management and organisation unit levels, the review of existing processes, and an intensive programme of rollout and training activity.
	Once level 3 is achieved the Department will review the business case for moving to higher levels.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Answer of 17 July 2008,  Official Report, column 640W, on departmental personnel, how many staff without posts there are in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies; how many staff without posts were classified as such upon return from maternity leave; and how many of the staff without posts have been classified as such for at least (i) six and (ii) 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: As at 31 December 2008 there were 301 members of staff, in the Department for Work and Pensions, who were without a permanent post. The following table shows the number of staff in each business area of the Department. The table also details the numbers of staff who have been without a permanent post for more than six months and of that number those who have been without a permanent post for more than 12 months.
	
		
			  Agency/business area  Staff without a permanent post  For at least  six  months  For at least 12 months 
			 Jobcentre Plus 252 122 105 
			 Pensions, Disability and Carer Services 14 8 4 
			 Rest of the Department 35 9 4 
			 Total 301 139 113 
		
	
	The number of these staff who had returned from maternity leave is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	Staff without permanent posts are actively engaged in delivering a range of departmental projects and duties, while seeking a new permanent position. They are given priority for posts in this Department and other Government Departments.
	The Child Support Agency, figures for which were included in the response of 17 July 2008, transferred to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission on 1 November 2008. At that time, there were no staff in the agency without permanent posts.

Departmental Pay

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bonuses to staff were paid by his Department in each year since 1998; how much was so paid in each year; and for what purposes these bonuses were awarded.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in 2001 as a result of machinery of government changes. Therefore it is only possible to provide the information requested from the 2002-03 financial year, which is when pay arrangements including those for bonuses were harmonised for all DWP employees.
	 End of Year Performance Bonuses
	DWP employees below the senior civil service are eligible for an annual individual performance bonus if they attain a 'Top', 'Higher' or 'Majority' rating under the annual performance and development system. The bonus awarded is determined by the employee's pay band and the performance level achieved.
	For the senior civil service, end of year bonuses are determined by the relevant DWP SCS Pay Committee.
	* Performance awards from the year 2007-08 were payable in July of the financial year 2008-09. A total of £23.32 million has been paid. This is broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Department Total 
			  Financial year  Total number of recipients  Total paid  (£ million) 
			 2002-03 131,776 30.82 
			 2003-04 106,123 25.29 
			 2004-05 129,855 36.61 
			 2005-06 123,825 42.82 
			 2006-07 116,096 40.68 
			 2007-08* 111,943 36.61 
			 2008-09 107,726 23.32 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2:  Total  below SCS 
			  Financial year  Total number of recipients  Total paid (£ million) 
			 2002-03 131,666 30.23 
			 2003-04 105,997 24.58 
			 2004-05 129,648 35.64 
			 2005-06 123,620 41.43 
			 2006-07 115,896 39.01 
			 2007-08 111,741 34.88 
			 2008-09 107,518 21.50 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3:  Total  SCS 
			  Financial year  Total number of recipients  Total paid (£ million) 
			 2002-03 110 0.59 
			 2003-04 126 0.71 
			 2004-05 207 0.97 
			 2005-06 205 1.39 
			 2006-07 200 1.67 
			 2007-08 202 1.73 
			 2008-09 208 1.82 
			  Notes: 1. The information in tables 1 and 2 is based on the number of employees recorded on the DWP payroll systems as having received a qualifying performance mark. These are headcount. 2. Some individuals may have received more than one type of bonus payment in the year, which is why the information has been presented separately and not as an aggregated total. 3. The performance bonus is paid in the financial year following the performance year of 1 April to 31 March. 4. The total amount paid includes employers national insurance contribution (ERNIC). 5. In-year cash bonus data was previously held on a separate IT system. Data from this system can only be obtained from a third party and there would be a cost ascribed to this provision. This would bring the cost of answering this PQ to above the threshold considered proportionate. 
		
	
	 Special Bonus and Voucher Payments
	Individuals may also be entitled to special bonus payments either as cash or retail vouchers. These are one-off recognition awards, payable at any time during the performance year and are not linked to the annual pay award. Payments are made to recognise exceptional achievements beyond what would normally be expected.
	The cost for voucher payments was £0.9 million in 2006-07 (14,392 vouchers issued), £1.77 million in 2007-08 (31,237 vouchers were issued) and £1.03 million in 2008-09 (28,869 vouchers issued). Some individuals might have received more than one voucher.
	It is not possible to provide separate data for in-year cash bonuses across three years. However, based on 2007-08 payments, the cost in a typical year is around £2.7 million paid to approximately 11,250 individuals.
	These figures are the best available.

Income Support: Mortgages

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the two-year time limit on claims for income support for mortgage interest for jobseeker's allowance claimants will apply to existing claimants.

Tony McNulty: The two year limit on payment of support for mortgage interest for income-based jobseeker's allowance claimants will not apply to existing customers who started to receive payment of mortgage interest under the previous rules that existed before 5 January 2009.

Jobcentre Plus: Closures

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus offices have closed in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Jobcentre Plus offices have closed in each of the last five years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The following table provides the information you have requested:
	
		
			  Year  Jobcentre Plus offices open to the public and subsequently closed 
			 2004 95 
			 2005 99 
			 2006 157 
			 2007 49 
			 2008 54 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus 
		
	
	We have modernised our Jobcentre network to improve customer service, rationalising our estate to provide excellent high street coverage and a single, integrated customer facing office, at the same time reducing cost to the tax payer. We remain the largest office network in Government with 744 modern Jobcentres which are supported by 31 contact centres and 79 main benefit processing centres.
	Increasingly, our services (in common with most large, modern organisations) are now also delivered through the telephone and internet. New claims to benefit are predominantly taken by telephone with some taken on-line. This has brought our customer facing services together in a more coherent and integrated network.
	In December, I asked the customer service directors in our regions to review their service delivery plans for every Jobcentre Plus District in the light of the current economic conditions and welfare reform changes planned for the next two to three years. As an immediate measure, I decided to suspend proposed further Jobcentre closures while the current economic uncertainties exist, which will allow us to increase our capacity to deliver services to those in need of help.

Local Employment Partnerships

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseekers in each region have found  (a) employment and  (b) sustained employment with employers who have signed-up to local employment partnerships in each quarter since local employment partnerships were established.

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been placed in work through local employment partnerships in each year since such partnerships were established, broken down by Jobcentre Plus area.

Tony McNulty: Over 90,000 people have found work to date through local employment partnerships (LEPs). The following table shows the number of people who found employment through LEPs in the 2007-08 operational year ending March 2008, and for each of the three following quarters ending June, September and December. The number of people given face-to-face help in Jobcentre Plus offices is shown by Jobcentre Plus Region; those helped following telephone contact with Jobcentre Plus are shown separately in the contact centre totals. An evaluation of the policy will examine sustained employment.
	
		
			  The number of people finding work through local employment partnerships by region 
			   Numbers finding work through local employment partnerships during:  
			   period to end-March 2008  quarter ending June 2008  quarter ending Sept 2008  quarter ending Dec 2008  Total finding work to December 2008 
			 East Midlands 68 552 1,452 3,808 5,880 
			 East of England 84 320 2,094 3,111 5,609 
			 London 1,453 1,932 5,916 8,295 17,596 
			 North East 295 632 1811 4,601 7,339 
			 North West 210 1,222 3,097 6,371 10900 
			 South East 132 376 1,705 3846 6,059 
			 South West 98 412 1,473 3,455 5,438 
			 West Midlands 248 951 3,685 5,469 10,353 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 255 698 3,179 4,351 8,483 
			 Scotland 713 3,197 4,307 4,620 12,837 
			 Wales 346 689 2,138 3,333 6,506 
			   
			 Contact centre total 9 23 1,043 1,884 2,959 
			   
			 National total 3,911 11,004 31,900 53,144 99,959 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative data

Local Employment Partnerships

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the maximum amount of funding that businesses are eligible to receive when working with Jobcentre Plus in local employment partnerships is  (a) per person placed in work and  (b) in total;
	(2)  how his Department determines the  (a) amount and  (b) timing of funding to businesses within a local employment partnership;
	(3)  how much has been paid by his Department to businesses in local employment partnerships in each year since such partnerships were established, broken down by  (a) Jobcentre Plus district and  (b) reason for payment.

Tony McNulty: Businesses do not receive funding through local employment partnerships. Local employment partnerships (LEPs) are an enhanced way of working between the Government and employers. Each agreement is different and arrangements for LEP measures will be responsive to local circumstances. Jobcentre Plus works in partnership with existing structures including, local authorities, Cities Strategy Pathfinders, The Learning and Skills Council, Train to Gain, training providers and further education colleges to provide opportunities for help and training to assist people make the transition from benefit into work.

Public Expenditure

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to page 92 of the pre-Budget report 
	(1)  how much money his Department accrued in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion each year's contribution made to the stock of money not spent in earlier years;
	(2)  how much money was in his Department's stock of money not spent in earlier years, in each of the last six months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the Department for Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the Employment Service. Therefore it is not possible to provide information for 2001-02 or previous years.
	Subsequent to 2001-02 the Department's stock of money not spent in earlier years increased in 2006-07 by £202 million (25 per cent. of the total stock) and in 2007-08 by £5 million (0.6 per cent. of the total stock). The increases are calculated net of stock drawn down to fund in year spend. Between 2002-03 and 2005-06 the Department's stock of unspent money was reduced.
	The stock of money not spent (commonly referred to as end of year flexibility) is determined at the end of each financial year in conjunction with HM Treasury and is published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper.
	The stock is not accrued monthly and as such the balance does not move during the financial year.

Social Security Benefits

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of benefit claims maintained by post in each year since 1997;
	(2)  in what circumstances a benefit claimant may maintain a claim through postal signings.

Tony McNulty: Information regarding the number of benefit claims maintained by post is not available.
	Postal signing is made available to customers: who live more than one hour, door to door, by public transport, in either direction, from the nearest jobcentre; or who would be absent from home in excess of four hours if they had to attend in person; or who have a mental or physical disability, which restricts their mobility; and in other exceptional circumstances for example, the customer would have to use a form of transport they would not ordinarily be expected to use on a regular basis, i.e. an inter-city train, ferry or plane.
	If no public transport is available, postal signing is not granted to customers who can reasonably be expected to walk from home to the jobcentre within one hour, taking into account their age, health and the terrain over which they must walk. No customer is expected to walk more than three miles.

Social Security Benefits: Interviews

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-focused interviews for each category of benefit were conducted in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many work-focused interviews for each category of benefit were conducted in each of the last five years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The information is not available prior to February 2005. The available information is in the table below.
	
		
			  Work focused interviews attended broken down by year and benefit 
			  Benefit  2004-05( 1)  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09( 2) 
			 Incapacity benefit 73,463 720,766 991,052 1,191,282 672,446 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 432,317 4,519,620 6,496,398 7,353,192 5,069,839 
			 Income support 63,172 698,958 986,895 1,222,914 895,498 
			 (1) The figures for 2004-05 are for February and March 2005. (2) The figures for 2008-09 are for April to October 2008.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Business Information System

Social Security Benefits: Reform

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take in  (a) the UK,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley district and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency to ensure that his policy on welfare reform policies will be effective;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on families in  (a) the North East and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency who have benefited from the Government's policy on welfare reform.

Tony McNulty: Since 1997 our welfare reforms have contributed to a reduction of 26,600 people claiming out of work benefits in the North East and 864 in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency.
	Our reforms have resulted in high numbers of people in work, and have put an end to the rise in the number of people claiming incapacity benefits.
	Active intervention is key, at no time is this more important than in an economic downturn. If it is becoming harder to find work, it is right that we do more to help, not less. We need to learn the lessons from previous downturns, and from overseas: first, increase support, do not relax conditionality; second, do not move people onto inactive benefits; and third, maintain efforts to reduce inactivity.
	Our Welfare Reform White Paper "Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future" (CM: 7506) published on 10 December 2008 drives forward the transformation of the welfare state, turning it from being essentially passive to profoundly active. The Bill to enact these proposals is now before Parliament.
	Previous experience has taught us that the worst thing we can do in a downturn is to write people off, consigning them to a lifetime on benefits. We are investing an additional £1.3 billion over the next two years to support Jobcentre Plus and our employment programmes; and a further £0.5 billion to guarantee more support to people unemployed for six months or more by providing incentives for firms to hire, access to help in setting up a business, extra funding for training and opportunities for work-focused volunteering.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Treasury Minute entitled Progress in tackling benefit fraud, issued in response to the Committee of Public Accounts' Thirty-first Report of Session 2007-08, when his Department expects to set recovery targets for benefit overpayments as a result of fraud.

Tony McNulty: We welcomed the recommendation put forward by the Public Accounts Committee and as a result undertook research to establish the best means of implementation. This work is very near to completion and there will be a recovery target in place for benefit overpayments arising as a result of fraud at the start of the next financial year.
	The good news is that we have reduced fraud from around 2 per cent. of benefit expenditure in 2000-01 to 0.6 per cent. in 2007-08 and is now at its lowest level ever. I hope the hon. Gentleman welcomes that.
	A recovery target for benefit overpayments arising from fraud will be in place for the next financial year.

PRIME MINISTER

Lobbying

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will allow the recording and broadcast of lobby briefings given by his spokesman to lobby journalists.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor (the right hon. Tony Blair) on 2 February 2001,  Official Report, column 335W.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Buildings Allowance

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of reinstating the agricultural buildings allowance.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The phased withdrawal of agricultural buildings allowance (ABAs) is part of a package of measures which also saw the reduction of the main rate of corporation tax and the introduction of a £50,000 annual investment allowance (AIA), allowing 95 per cent. of businesses to write off all their expenditure on plant and machinery in the year in which it is made.
	The Government considered carefully the withdrawal of the ABA as part of this package of measures to modernise and simplify corporation tax. Taken as a whole these reforms to the business and personal tax systems are designed to deliver increases in investment and growth overall.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Facilities

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will consult residents of Hadleigh before any decisions are taken on the development of Hadleigh and the surrounding area to facilitate the Olympic mountain bike events; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: In developing the plans for the mountain biking venue the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will work with the local authority and the venue owner to ensure that the proposals meet the sporting and operational requirements for staging the Olympic event. Further to the Town Planning process, LOCOG and Essex county council will be talking to the local community to determine how best the games-time and legacy proposals meet with the satisfaction and support of the local people. This is a genuine opportunity to showcase Hadleigh, the county of Essex and the sport of mountain biking to a global audience.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Pensions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many civil servants working in the Government Equalities Office have pensions with a cash equivalent transfer value of over £1 million.

Maria Eagle: The Government Equalities Office has one civil servant who has a pension with a cash equivalent transfer value of over £1 million.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the budget for the Government Equalities Office is for ( a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Maria Eagle: The budget for the Government Equalities Office can be found in the Core Tables (Annex A) of the Annual Report and Resource Accounts 2007-08 which has been laid in the House of Commons Library.

Plain English Campaign: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office spent on Plain English Campaign training courses in each year since its establishment.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 13W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Official Hospitality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of the dinner hosted by his Department at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool on 20 November 2008 was, broken down by category of cost.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 22 January 2009
	 The cost of the event at the Walker Art Gallery was £5,550.

ICT: Reviews

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of the Digital Britain review has been to date; what estimate he has made of the  (a) staff costs and  (b) total costs of the review; and when he expects the review to make its final report.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 January 2009
	The estimated cost of the Digital Britain review to date is £195,315, borne jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Tourism

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the cost of  (a) venue hire,  (b) travel expenses and  (c) food and drink was for the tourism summit hosted by his Department in Liverpool on 8 January 2009;
	(2)  what the cost to his Department was of the tourism summit in Liverpool on 8 January.  [Official Report, 2 July 2009, Vol. 495, c. 8MC.]

Barbara Follett: holding answer  2 2 January 2009
	 The estimated total costs to the Department for Culture Media and Sport of the tourism summit in Liverpool on 8 January is £7,745.01.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the Answer of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 329W, on apprentices, what progress has been made on increasing the number of apprentices in his Department; and how many apprentices his Department employed at the latest date for which figures are available.

Michael Foster: In line with the Skills Strategy—Next Steps, the Department for International Development (DFID) has committed to putting in place five apprenticeships for each of the next two years. The Department currently has no apprenticeships under way.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in departmental buildings in the last 12 months.

Michael Foster: Over the last 12 months the Department for International Development (DFID) has spent £14,146 on works to the Ministers' offices and those of their private office staff. This includes the creation of a new waiting and meeting area.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Answer of 11 November 2008,  Official Report, column 986, on departmental conditions of employment, what the  (a) highest,  (b) lowest,  (c) mean and  (d) total amount was spent on (i) travel and (ii) other expenses for those who took their (A) two week break in home country and (B) two week break outside their home country in each year since 2005.

Michael Foster: Employees working in Iraq and Afghanistan are entitled to a two week break away from post for every six weeks worked.
	DFID will only cover the cost of one return flight to the UK for each breather break. If employees wish to spend a break at an alternative location they must cover any additional costs, above the equivalent of the return ticket to the UK, themselves.
	Employees are not reimbursed for other expenses incurred during the breather break.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost of provision of Government cars to special advisers in his Department has been in the last 12 months.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development does not provide Government cars to special advisers.

Departmental Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost of his Department's contracts with public relations consultancies was in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: The cost of the Department for International Development's contracts with public relations consultancies over the last five years was £314,242.
	These data have been extracted from readily available information and may not be comprehensive. To undertake an extensive interrogation of records over the last five years would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 5 November 2008,  Official Report, column 510W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008.

Michael Foster: Other Ministers in the Department for International Development have taken the following personal training courses at public expense since 1 January 2008:
	Public Communications.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which external organisations his Department has engaged to provide training for fast stream civil service staff in the last three years; and how many civil servants in his Department have participated in provision of training for external organisations in that period.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) advises that fast stream staff undertake at least 15 days a year on learning and development activities. The specific training for each individual is determined between the line manager of the post and the individual. Records are not maintained centrally for each individual's learning and development, but normally some external training courses would form part of the learning and development. A wide variety of external providers are used. It regularly includes courses run by the National School of Government.
	Approximately 100 sub-departments and overseas offices within DFID are responsible for identifying learning and development opportunities for each staff member, including external training courses. Information on the number of staff attending external training courses is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; how many such training sessions were held in 2008; and how many staff in his Department attended at least one such training course.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development has not used the Internet Advertising Bureau to provide any training courses in 2008.

Departmental Travel

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what expenditure his Department has incurred in providing transport for Ministers between Parliament and departmental premises in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 6W. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code.

Departmental Working Hours

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the policy of his Department and its agencies is on granting staff time off in lieu for working  (a) in lunch breaks,  (b) in evenings and  (c) at other times outside contracted working hours; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) employs a diverse work force and so allows employees to work a wide range of flexible working patterns to fulfil their contracted hours; this may include some evening work. However, employees who opt to work flexibly must still take a minimum lunch break of at least 30 minutes. This also applies to employees that opt to work standard hours instead of flexible hours.
	DFID only permits their employees to work beyond their contracted hours in the evenings or at weekends to meet essential business needs. Where employees work overtime, it is our policy to allow them to opt for either payment or time off in lieu.

International Economic Relations: Developing Countries

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proposals his Department has put forward for the reform of international financial institutions to meet international development objectives; what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Prime Minister and  (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on these proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I have consistently called for reform of the international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Government want to make these institutions more effective so that they are able to respond better to current and future global challenges. This will need to include addressing weaknesses in their legitimacy. At the October 2008 World Bank annual meetings I and other World Bank governors agreed a first package of measures to reform the Bank's governance, which included increased representation for African countries and opening up the appointment of the World Bank president. We also agreed that a second phase of reform would be taken forward to give poorer countries more say in the World Bank's decision making.
	At the Washington summit on 15 November G20 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to reforming the World Bank and the IMF to increase their legitimacy and effectiveness. My Department is working with other G20 countries to identify specific actions to take forward this agenda. I have regular discussions with the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and other members of the Cabinet about these and other issues that will be discussed at the London summit.

Peace

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on  (a) peace education,  (b) mediation,  (c) conflict prevention,  (d) conflict resolution,  (e) interfaith dialogue and  (f) other peace development initiatives since January 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not disaggregate spend into the categories requested. DFID currently holds records against the following categories of expenditure on conflict:
	
		
			million 
			  Category  Total expenditure in financial years 2002-03 to 2007-08 
			 Security system management and reform 69.4 
			 Civilian peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution 213.6 
			 Land mine clearance 65.2 
			   
			 Total 348.2

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka following the recent offensive by government troops on Tamil areas; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The worsening humanitarian plight of some 230,000 trapped civilians following the Sri Lankan government's recent offensive causes great concern. We deplore such incidents as the recent shelling of a hospital.
	We constantly monitor the situation through our high commission and other sources, supplemented by field visits by Department for International Development humanitarian staff. We have recently programmed 2.5 million humanitarian funding through the UN, Red Cross and non-government organisations. We are sending another humanitarian mission in the next few weeks and have agreed a further 2.5 million humanitarian funding.
	But the problem will not be resolved by funding alone. We are resolute in pressing for better humanitarian access for aid convoys and other relief within safe humanitarian space. The Foreign Secretary repeated this to President Rajapakse on 30 January.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The humanitarian situation in Darfur remains precarious. Although violence is not on the scale of 2003-04, insecurity continues to hamper the delivery of aid. In 2008, a further 310,000 civilians entered internally displaced persons' camps to bring the total to 2.7 million. 277 relief vehicles were hijacked, 192 compounds attacked and 11 humanitarian workers were killed.
	Improving the humanitarian situation in Darfur remains a high priority for us. My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch Brown, discussed Darfur with Djibril Bassol, African Union (AU)/UN Chief Mediator for Darfur, in London on 15 December 2008, and we are in regular contact with his office. Our ambassador in Khartoum and her staff maintain close contact with all main political groups in Darfur, non-governmental organisations working in the region, and the AU/UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID), and visited all three states of Darfur in the last three months.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Working Hours

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days off in lieu were granted to staff in  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies for working (i) in lunch breaks and (ii) at other times outside contracted working hours, in the last year for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office do not record centrally days taken off in lieu granted to staff in  (a) the Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies for working (i) in lunch breaks and (ii) at other times, outside contracted working hours.

VAT: Business

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the administrative cost to businesses in Northern Ireland of the recent temporary reduction in the rate at which value added tax is levied prior to that reduction taking place;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the administrative cost to businesses in Northern Ireland of a variation in the rate at which value added tax is levied.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimated costs to business in the UK are published in the impact assessment of changes to the standard rate of VAT. This is available on the HM Treasury website. Reliable cost estimates cannot be produced on a regional basis.

SCOTLAND

Homecoming Scotland

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what role the Scotland Office is playing in relation to the Homecoming Scotland 2009 initiative.

Ann McKechin: I am fully supportive of the Year of Homecoming and will be taking appropriate opportunities to promote it throughout the year along with my other ministerial colleagues. I have already obtained the support of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in promoting the initiative.

TRANSPORT

Channel Tunnel: Tolls

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the train access charge regime for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, with particular reference to his policy of encouraging cross-border rail/freight movements.

Paul Clark: The future charges for use of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link have been subject to recent consultation and HS1 Limited is discussing these charges with train operators and industry representatives as part of its consideration of that consultation. Further details can be found on the HS1 website at:
	www.highspeed1.co.uk
	The Government wishes to see charges set at a level which maximises use of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and encourages competition, while ensuring the market makes the fullest contribution towards the costs of constructing the railway.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that no changes affecting the terms and conditions of staff will be made to the contractual parts of any staff handbooks within his Department without the consent of a recognised trade union.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport may make changes to the staff handbook following consultation or negotiation as appropriate with its recognised trade union.

Departmental Procurement

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the status of the tender notice entitled UK-London: Reward Strategy and Benefits Project detailed on his Department's Procurement Portal has changed to closed.

Geoff Hoon: The contract notice published on 11 November 2008 changed to a closed status when the 30 day deadline for submission of applications to participate passed.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Industrial Disputes

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to recover funds due to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency identified in the Central London employment tribunal case between Mr Geoff Topliss and NCP Services Ltd.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no outstanding funds to recover. DVLA has receipts and appropriate documentation to show that all revenue due has been received by the agency.

Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency: Personal Records

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to refuse paper requests to the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency for the release of driver information unless such requests meet the requirements applicable to requests submitted electronically.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The procedures in place for the release of vehicle keeper details from DVLA's vehicle register are kept under review. An announcement will be made shortly on the additional measures DVLA intend to introduce for car park enforcement companies requesting vehicle keeper details manually.

Public Transport: Complaints

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce an ombudsman system to deal with complaints concerning the transport system.

Geoff Hoon: I have no plans to put such a system in place. A range of bodies already exist to deal with transport-related complaints.

Railways: Catering

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the specification of restaurant car services in rail franchises let by his Department, with particular reference to franchises held by National Express.

Paul Clark: For the recently-let rail franchises, the policy of the Department for Transport has been not to specify restaurant car services. This policy was applied to franchises now held by National Express.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians have been killed in military action in Helmand province since February 2006.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 622-23W.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents of theft of British military equipment supplies during transit from the port of disembarkation in Pakistan to the final destination in Afghanistan have been reported since 18 July 2008.

John Hutton: Two incidents of theft of British military supplies during transit from the port of disembarkation in Pakistan to the final destination in Afghanistan have been reported to the Royal Military Police between 18 July 2008 and 26 January 2009 inclusive.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers from the First Battalion The Rifles have been injured in Afghanistan since October 2008.

John Hutton: Between 1 October 2008 and 24 January 2009 one soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles was very seriously injured, and another Rifleman was seriously injured.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 23W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations 
	(1)  how long the training will take; and what personnel will be involved in the training;
	(2)  where the training of personnel will take place;
	(3)  what aspects of the flying training will be conducted.

John Hutton: The aspects of flying training to be conducted will be appropriate to the environmental and operational conditions in Afghanistan.
	The training of RAF Merlin Force air and ground crew will take place in the UK (at RAF Benson, on Salisbury Plain and other UK training areas), with some elements likely to be overseas as part of a rolling programme prior to deployment.
	Much of the theatre-specific preparation will need to take place during the four month period between completion of deployment to Iraq and commencement of deployment to Afghanistan; but some elements of training may commence earlier.
	I am withholding further details as their disclosure would, or would likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many insurgents in Afghanistan were captured by British forces in each month in 2008; and how many  (a) were subsequently released,  (b) transferred to Afghan authorities and  (c) remain in British custody.

John Hutton: I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr. MacNeil) on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1016W.

Air Force: Manpower

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many multi-engine aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force have  (a) navigators and  (b) flight engineers as part of the crew.

Bob Ainsworth: 59 aircraft of the RAF Multi-Engine fleet that are planned to be in service on 31 March 2009 have Weapons System Officers (Navigator) (WSO(Nav)) as part of the crew. These comprise the Hercules C130K, VC10, Sentry, Sentinel, Nimrod MR2 and Nimrod R1 aircraft.
	63 aircraft of the RAF Multi-Engine fleet that are planned to be in service on 31 March 2009 have Air Engineers as part of the crew. These comprise the Hercules C130K, Tristar, VC10, Sentry, Nimrod MR2 and Nimrod R1 aircraft.

Air Force: Manpower

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) navigators and  (b) flight engineers are available to serve in multi-engine aircraft in service with the RAF.

Bob Ainsworth: Navigators form a sub-branch of the weapon system officer specialisation and flight engineers are more correctly known as air engineers. Currently there are 285 weapon system officer (navigators) and 175 air engineers available to serve in multi-engine aircraft(1). These figures include personnel who are currently trained and qualified to serve in a multi-engine aircraft, those who occupy another type of flying appointment and those who occupy a non-flying post. Those in the last two categories would require refresher training before they would be available to serve in multi-engine aircraft.
	(1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) endorsed number,  (b) actual number and  (c) location was of all UK personnel deployed on operations on 1 January 2009.

Bob Ainsworth: The endorsed force levels for UK military operations are set out in the following table by location.
	
		
			  Location  Endorsed number (at 1 January 2009)( 1) 
			 Afghanistan(2) 8,050 
			 Southern Iraq 4,100 
			 Baghdad(3) 250 
			 At sea 1,050 
			 Falklands/South Atlantic 1,500 
			 Qatar 700 
			 Cyprus 300 
			 Kuwait 550 
			 Kosovo 150 
			 Bahrain 50 
			 Bosnia 50 
			 Other(4) 100 
			 (1 )Rounded to 50 (2) On 15 December 2008, the Prime Minister announced a temporary increase in the number of British troops deployed to Afghanistan, from just over 8,050 to 8,300,  Official Report, column 816. The endorsed figure for Operation Herrick 9 remains unaffected. (3) Providing support to the Senior British Military RepresentativeIraq. (4 )Small scale deployments in support of EU and UN missions, and headquarters liaison officers. 
		
	
	The precise number of personnel in each theatre at any one time fluctuates very significantly on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not therefore publish actual figures for personnel deployed in theatre.

Armed Forces: Females

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women have been recruited into the General Duties (Pilot) branch of the Royal Air Force in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: In the 12 month period, ending on 31 October 2008, out of a total of just over 100 personnel recruited into the General Duties (Pilot) branch of the Royal Air Force, fewer than 10 were women.
	This figure has been rounded up to the nearest 10 in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the convention on presentation of national statistics.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent removing asbestos from  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) service families accommodation since 1997.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Occupants of service accommodation are made aware of the location of any asbestos known to be present in their accommodation and are given appropriate health and safety advice. Reports by occupants of suspected damage to any asbestos-carrying material are investigated, and, where required, action taken in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the manning  (a) requirement and  (b) level was in each unit of each service in the armed forces in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on strengths and requirements of the armed forces by service can be found in table 1 of Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 4UK armed forces quarterly manning report. TSP 4 is published quarterly and, the most recent publication shows figures as at 1 October 2008, can be found at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=48thiscontent=20pubType=1date=2008-11-27disText=01%20Oct%202008from=historictopDate=2009-09-23PublishTime=09:30:00
	Requirement is not split by unit for the three services. Strengths information by unit can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Pakistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel are based in Pakistan; and what their role is.

John Hutton: There are currently 18 UK armed forces personnel based in Pakistan. UK personnel undertake a variety of roles, including training and liaison. In addition, some personnel undertake diplomatic duties and fill exchange posts.

Armed Forces: Training

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals in each branch of the armed forces have failed to complete successfully basic training in each year since 2000.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of individuals in the armed forces that have failed to complete successfully basic training in each year since 2000 is not centrally held.
	Information on outflow to civil life from the untrained strength of UK regular forces by sex and ethnic origin can be found in Table 7 of Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 4UK armed forces quarterly manning report. TSP 4 is published quarterly and, the most recent publication shows figures for the 12 months to 30 September 2008, can be found at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=48thiscontent=20pubType=1date=2008-11-27disText=01%20Oct%202008from=historictopDate=2009-09-23PublishTime=09:30:00
	Outflow to civil life from the untrained strength of UK regular forces includes outflow from phase 1 (basic) and phase 2 training.
	Outflow to civil life from the untrained strength of UK regular forces by branch information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ridgback armoured vehicles have been shipped to  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq since 2001.

Quentin Davies: No Ridgback vehicles have yet been shipped to Iraq or Afghanistan.
	Delivery to Afghanistan is due to begin later this year and there are no plans to deploy Ridgback to Iraq.

Army: Expenditure

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on  (a) heavy infantry,  (b) heavy artillery,  (c) light infantry and  (d) light artillery in each of the last 10 years.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of land in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is given over the private ownership for the purposes of agriculture.

Kevan Jones: The Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) of Akrotiri and Dhekelia cover an area of around 98 square miles. Approximately 60 per cent. of this land is privately owned. This land may be utilised by owners as they see fit within the applicable Law.
	The functions of government relating to the administration and regulation of agricultural activities, as well as land registration are delegated to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus who would hold the data. The SBA Administration does not hold the information requested and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence: Expenditure

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 65-7WS, on defence equipment, what assessment he has made of the savings from the equipment budget required to be made in the 2009 planning round; and which programmes are being examined for savings.

John Hutton: As part of the Department's normal planning round we review the full scope of our future equipment programme, alongside other elements of the defence programme, so that judgments can be made on overall priorities and balance of investment to maximise defence capability within the available resources. In my written statement on 11 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 65-7WS, I informed Parliament about the major decisions emerging from our examination of the equipment programme and indicated that any further significant changes would be announced following the conclusion of the planning round.

Defence: Military Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the material carrying capacity is of the A400M.

Quentin Davies: The A400M aircraft has been specified to carry a payload of 32 tonnes. It is currently forecast to meet this requirement, and exceed it under certain scenarios.

Departmental Data Protection

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of staff in his Department have been  (a) investigated,  (b) suspended and  (c) dismissed for losing (i) memory sticks, (ii) laptop computers, (iii) desktop computers and (iv) mobile telephones belonging to his Department in each year since 1997.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. However, records held centrally of civilian staff dismissed since April 2002 include no cases of dismissal specifically for losing memory sticks, laptop computers, desktop computers and mobile telephones belonging to the Department.

Departmental ICT

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many training exercises have been  (a) cancelled and  (b) delayed due to the recent computer virus problem affecting his Department;
	(2)  how many computers in his Department have been infected with the recently reported computer virus;
	(3)  what his estimate is of the cost to his Department of resolving the recent computer virus problem;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the source of the recent computer virus problem which affected his Department;
	(5)  how many computers in  (a) Iraq,  (b) Afghanistan and (c) other UK military bases overseas have been infected with a computer virus in the last two months; and what the (i) name and (ii) location of the base is in each case.

John Hutton: It would not be in the interests of the UK's national security for the Ministry of Defence to release information regarding the impact of any computer virus infection on its IT systems as this would enable individuals to deduce how successful these infections are against the network and so assist such persons in establishing the effectiveness of the UK's IT defences.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 608W, on departmental manpower, how many staff in his Department and its agencies are in the redeployment pool; how many of them were placed in the pool after returning from maternity leave; and how many of them have been in the pool for at least  (a) six months and  (b) 12 months.

Kevan Jones: As at 21 January 2009 there were 886 MOD staff in the Redeployment Pool.
	The Department's automated records do not facilitate ready identification of the number of those in the pool who were placed there on their return from maternity leave. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	346 staff have been in the pool for at least six months and, of those, 214 have been in the pool for at least 12 months.

Departmental Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about advertisements sponsored or funded by his Department were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in each year from 1997 to 2008; and how many of these were upheld by the ASA in each year.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held by the MOD; however, the Advertising Standards Authority report that between January 1997 and December 2008 the following complaints were made about MOD sponsored advertisements:
	Royal Navy: four complaints about four cases, none of which were upheld.
	Army: 92 complaints about 76 cases, none of which were upheld.
	RAF: seven complaints received about seven cases, one of which remains under investigation while the remaining six were not upheld.
	These statistics do not include complaints about TV or Radio broadcasts made between 1997 and 2006 as this information is not centrally held.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case.

Kevan Jones: The data requested are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However public appointments to the MOD's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are run through a visibly open, fair and rigorous recruitment and selection process under the rules of the Office of the Commissioner of Public Appointments (OCPA). Successful candidates have to declare their political activities. Information on MOD's public appointments can be found at:
	www.mod.uk
	In respect of information on MOD's special advisers, since 2003 their names, overall costs and the number in each pay band are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office.

Detainee Numbers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will update the figures given on detainee numbers as set out in his letter of 17 November 2008 to the right hon. Member for North East Hampshire; and if he will make a statement

John Hutton: I will shortly be updating the House on this issue.

International Security Assistance Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on sourcing the requirement for International Security Assistance Force's Operational Reserve Force; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I have had numerous discussions with my NATO counterparts on the subject of troops contributions. Through the force generation process, NATO is working to fill the Operational Reserve Force for ISAF. This requirement was identified on NATO's Combined Statement of Requirement in 2006. There are in-theatre reserves available.

Iraq

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the UK armed forces are working as part of NATO training forces in Iraq.

John Hutton: Currently, there are 18 members of the UK armed forces working as part of the NATO Training Mission in Iraq.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors he will take into account when making decisions on the number of troops to be deployed in Iraq.

John Hutton: As the Prime Minister set out on 18 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 1233-1235, we will complete our remaining military tasks in Iraq by 31 May 2009 and move to a normal bilateral defence relationship. As part of the future relationship, the government of Iraq have indicated that they would like the UK to continue to provide military training and education. The precise scope of this training and education will inform decisions on the number of UK service personnel in Iraq after 31 July. Decisions will also be based on advice from our military commanders and conditions on the ground. On the basis of our discussions with the Iraqi government to date, I anticipate that this future activity would involve no more than around 400 UK service personnel, which military commanders judge should be sufficient to support the delivery of these tasks safely and effectively.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the withdrawal of British forces from Iraq by July 2009 on the airbridge;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of commercial  (a) planes and  (b) ships to be hired to assist with the withdrawal of British forces from Iraq; and what the cost to his Department is estimated to be.

Bob Ainsworth: Plans have not yet been finalised for the recovery of equipment and personnel from Iraq. Until such time, it is not possible to quantify the amount of lift that will be necessary to move all the items and personnel. It is intended, however, that the majority of the recovery will be conducted by surface means using the MOD RoRo resources as far as possible in conjunction with commercial liner services. As the requirement to sustain Iraq reduces, the requirement for the lift will diminish.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 35W, on Iraq: peace keeping operations, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of co-operation between his Department and the Department for International Development on conflict prevention immediately prior to the invasion of Iraq.

John Hutton: Prior to the invasion of Iraq, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development (DfID) worked together on planning for Operation TELIC, including on humanitarian and reconstruction issues, and in other areas of stabilisation and conflict prevention. The House of Commons Defence Committee recognised in its report, 'Lessons of Iraq', published on 16 March 2004, that DfID was a 'key player' in planning for the post-conflict situation in Iraq. This close co-operation has continued ever since.

Military Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of the C17 aircraft operated by the armed forces have been fitted with titanium parts manufactured by Western Titanium.

Quentin Davies: RAF C-17 aircraft are fitted with titanium components manufactured by Western Titanium. There are no safety or airworthiness issues arising from the use of these components.

Military Aircraft: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of helicopters of each type available for training purposes was in each year since 2001.

Quentin Davies: Dedicated helicopter flying training for all services is carried out by Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) at RAF Shawbury, with further training for Army personnel carried out by DHFS at Middle Wallop. The contract requires the delivery of flying hours, rather than a specific number of aircraft. It is up to the contractor to decide how many aircraft are required to deliver the required hours. The number of helicopters that the contractor has used to deliver the flying hours required in each year since 2001 under the DHFS contract is:
	
		
			2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Shawbury Griffin 9 9 11 11 11 11 11 12 
			  Squirrel 28 28 28 28 27 27 25 25 
			   
			 Middle Wallop Squirrel 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 
		
	
	Once initial training has been completed, all further training requirements are serviced by helicopters in the Forward Fleet. There are many categories of flying training which are carried out on Forward Fleet aircraft that are also used for Operational purposes. It is not therefore possible to identify aircraft used solely for training.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 37W, which provided the numbers of helicopters in the Forward Fleet.

Military Aircraft: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of aircraft of each type available for training purposes was in each year since 2001.

Quentin Davies: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Military Attachs

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence attachs work in UK embassies, high commissions and consulates overseas; and how many did so in 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of defence attachs who work in embassies and high commissions is currently 105; the number in 1998 was 115. No defence attachs are employed in consulates.

Pirates

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules of engagement apply to members of the armed forces when engaging pirates; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Royal Navy ships participating in counter-piracy operations are trained and provided with the required rules of engagement to counter the threats they may face. Under these guidelines, HMS Cumberland successfully deterred an attack and rescued a pirated Yemeni vessel and crew last November.
	I am withholding details of rules of engagement as their release would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Project on National Security Reform

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was given in grants to the Project on National Security Reform in each financial year since 1997-98.

John Hutton: The Ministry of Defence has given no grants to the Project on National Security Reform.

Service Families

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department provides to service families remaining in the UK while service personnel are on overseas operations.

Kevan Jones: In addition to the existing, extensive welfare support provided by the Services, units receive a Families Welfare Grant to support the families of those who have deployed. Units can exercise considerable discretion in how this money is spent but typically it might be used to; pay for families briefings, to provide additional communications facilities such as internet access or to subsidise the cost of families outings. In acknowledgement of the demands placed upon our families we doubled this Grant in November last year so that each unit now receives 2.20 per week for each person deployed; for a typical battalion this amounts to about 35,000 over a six month deployment. Families also benefit from the email and telephone access, and free blueys and e-blueys provided to deployed personnel to help them keep in touch with their loved ones.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1742-43W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, how he plans to inform the House of the implications of the Afghan review; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 12 January 2009
	As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced to the House on 3 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 28-29, a review of the Government's Afghanistan policy is under way, involving the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, and reporting to the Prime Minister. Once completed, the findings and implications of the review will be announced to the House.

Antarctic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many personnel there are on each of the four British research stations in the British Antarctic Territory.

Gillian Merron: The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) maintains three research stations in the British Antarctic Territory on behalf of the UK. Two operate year-round (Rothera, Adelaide Island and Halley, Coats Land) and the third is a summer-only base (Signy, South Orkney Islands). Numbers of personnel at each of the bases are as follows:
	Rotherabetween 80-120 in summer and 21 in winter
	Halleyup to 70 (summer) and 16 (winter)
	Signyup to nine (summer only)
	In addition, BAS also operates two year-round research stations in the UK Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. These are at King Edward Point, South Georgia and Bird Island. Numbers of personnel at these bases are:
	King Edward Pointup to 22 (summer) and 10 (winter)
	Bird Islandup to 10 (summer) and four (winter).

Antarctic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research activity the UK is conducting in the British Antarctic Territory; and what the objectives of such research are.

Gillian Merron: The UK is committed to maintaining its leading role in Antarctic science and research and is conducting an extensive, multi-disciplinary programme of activities in the British Antarctic Territory and more widely within the Antarctic. These include areas such as climate change, sea level rise and the sustainable use of natural resources. The contribution of UK scientists, especially those at the British Antarctic Survey (a research institute of the Natural Environment Research Council), not only helps increase our understanding of the complex natural systems that are vital to the health of the planet but also underpins the UK's high profile within the Antarctic Treaty System.

Antarctic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international laws govern drilling and mineral extraction rights in the British Antarctic Territory; and what reports he has received on attempted oil exploration or research in the Antarctic by other countries.

Gillian Merron: The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty sets out a comprehensive regime for the protection of the Antarctic environment and prohibits any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research. We have received no reports on attempted oil exploration or research in the Antarctic by other countries.

Antarctic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what areas in the British Antarctic Territories  (a) are designated and  (b) receive funding from his Department as sites of special scientific interest.

Gillian Merron: There are 70 Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) in the Antarctic of which 14 were proposed solely or jointly by the UK.
	None of the ASP As for which the UK is responsible within the British Antarctic Territory receive funding, other than that needed to prepare and update management plans. Direct funding of the above ASP As is unnecessary as all such designated areas are given comprehensive protection via the Antarctic Treaty System and all states parties to the treaty are required to control access and entry strictly.

Antarctic: Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the sources of funding are for the UK's research stations in the British Antarctic Territory.

Gillian Merron: The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) maintains three research stations in the British Antarctic Territory on behalf of the UK. The core funding for maintaining these bases is provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Belize

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many ministerial or state visits to Belize there have been in each of the last 20 years; and what future ministerial or state visits are planned.

Gillian Merron: Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh last visited Belize in February 1994. HRH the Princess Royal subsequently visited in April 2001, and HRH the Duke of York in March 2002.
	Ministerial visits to Belize, in the last 15 years, have included:
	February 1998 Tony Lloyd, then Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister;
	January 2000 Peter Kilfoyle, then Ministry of Defence Minister;
	July 2000 John Battle, then FCO Minister
	May 2002 Dr. Denis MacShane, then FCO Minister
	January 2004 Bill Rammell, then FCO Minister;
	April 2004 Meg Munn, then FCO Minister.
	There are no current plans for FCO Ministers to visit Belize and it is not practice to announce Royal Visits until all parties concerned have agreed they can proceed, and all arrangements are in place.
	Information about ministerial travel to Belize in years preceding 1994 is not available and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Brazil

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Ministers of the government of Brazil have visited the UK in an official capacity since 2001.

Gillian Merron: Foreign and Commonwealth office records show that visits by Brazilian Government Ministers to the UK since 2001 include those of President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, who made a state visit to the UK in 2006, and also visited in 2003, the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Secretary of the Treasury, and the Ministers for Agriculture, Development, Planning, Finance and Justice.
	We do not hold comprehensive records on visits by Ministers of the Brazilian Government organised or facilitated by other Government Departments since 2001.

Brazil

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Ministers in his Department have made official visits to Brazil since 2001.

Gillian Merron: I visited Brazil in December 2008. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have made nine other official visits to Brazil since 2001. My right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) visited Brazil in July 2006 when Foreign Secretary, and there have also been ministerial visits by my right hon. Friend the Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane), my noble Friend Lord Triesman, and my hon. Friends the Members for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells), Dudley, South (Ian Pearson) and Harlow (Bill Rammell).

British Council

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for reductions in British Council  (a) posts and  (b) capital works on its estates, as referred to on page 28 of his Department's Autumn 2008 Performance Report; and which posts have been identified for closure.

David Miliband: The 'post reductions' referred to in the Department's Performance Report relate to jobs within the British Council's global support services. Decisions on particular jobs will be determined by a review of the British Council's support services, which will report in summer 2009. The review will consider how best to maximise efficiency and effectiveness from the Council's support services through the consolidation of these activities into a small number of global hubs. The British Council's capital expenditure related to its Global Estates will be reviewed within the same timescale.

British Overseas Territories

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of granting full independence to  (a) the British Virgin Islands,  (b) Bermuda,  (c) the Turks and Caicos Islands,  (d) Anguilla and  (e) the Cayman Islands.

Gillian Merron: The 1999 White Paper on the Overseas Territories (Partnership for Progress and Prosperity) made clear that it is for the citizens of each territory to determine whether they wish to stay linked to Britain or not. Our policy remains to give every help and encouragement to those territories that wish to proceed to independence, where it is an option. Since the White Paper, no territory has opted for independence, we have therefore not made a recent assessment of the merits of granting independence to any overseas territory.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken through the United Nations on the arrests of democracy activists in Burma.

Bill Rammell: The UK has consistently supported firm action in all UN bodies on the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Burmese regime. The UK supported a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly on 21 November 2008 which called on Burma to release, without delay and conditions, opposition activists who have been arrested arbitrarily. It also condemned the ongoing, systematic violations of civil, political, economic and social rights of the people of Burma.
	Our ambassador in Burma has made clear to Burmese Ministers that all political prisoners must be released in line with UN Security Council demands. We will continue to work to keep the issue of Burma on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

Consulates

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to improve consular services for UK citizens abroad.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 January 2009
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continually seeks to improve on the service delivered to British Nationals overseas. Our overarching approach is set out in the Consular Strategy 2007-2010, a copy of which I will place in the Library of the House.
	Examples of recent steps the FCO has taken to improve the service we offer includes: an increase of over 100 per cent. in the number of Missions which can take payment for services by credit card; passport applications and the majority of consular forms are now available on the internet; the public can register with our online crisis registration tool, LOCATE, supporting our consular response during a crisis; internet enabled computers have been installed in some consular waiting rooms; registered British nationals resident in a some countries can now receive SMS updates with important information; and we have modernised and improved on the training package for consular officialsincluding a requirement for staff to pass a customer care skills assessment.
	We have improved and increased our monitoring of the service we provide to British nationals, and will use that information to identify how we can still further improve on the services we provide.

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Resources

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department will next lead the UK delegation to the meeting of the members of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will next lead the UK delegation at the 28th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which will take place in Hobart, Australia from 26 October to 6 November 2009.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the government of Rwanda on its role in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the part Rwanda might play in resolving the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with President Kagame in December 2008. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown, also discussed the issue with President Kagame during their visits to Kigali in November 2008. We continue to urge the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda to co-operate in efforts to settle the issues at the root of the conflict. I am encouraged by the progress they have made in recent months.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in his Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: No works or refurbishment has been undertaken on rooms allocated to Ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, over the last 12 months.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the  (a) sex,  (b) ethnicity,  (c) age,  (d) disability,  (e) sexual orientation and  (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment he has made of his Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its workforce.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently hold information on gender, ethnicity, age and disability. The following tables contain diversity information from 1 January 2009.
	
		
			  Age ranges  Number of staff 
			 16-19 14 
			 20-24 205 
			 25-29 742 
			 30-34 25 
			 35-39 959 
			 40-44 1,122 
			 45-49 799 
			 50-54 609 
			 55-59 441 
			 60-64 183 
			 65 and over 13 
			   
			 Total 5,912 
		
	
	
		
			  Gender 
			   Number 
			 Male 3,485 
			 Female 2,427 
		
	
	
		
			   British minority ethnic 
			 Total number 529 
			 Percentage of total 8.9 
		
	
	
		
			   Disability 
			 Total number 205 
			 Percentage of total 3.5 
		
	
	The figures for ethnicity and disability rely on declarations by staff, so will not include staff who have not yet entered diversity data or who have chosen not to. We do not seek information or keep data on sexual orientation or religious persuasion.
	The FCO has recently formulated a new diversity and inclusion strategy, as required by the Cabinet Office. As part of this strategy, we will analyse our performance against targets for women, British minority ethnic staff and for staff with a declared disability. This information will be publicly available once the Cabinet Office has agreed the strategies for all Government Departments.
	The figures above include staff serving in FCO Services, a trading fund of the FCO.

Embassies

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which British embassies have closed permanently in the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has permanently closed seven embassies since 1999. Details are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year of closure  Country  Post name 
			 2003-04 Mali Bamako 
			 2003-04 El Salvador San Salvador 
			 2003-04 Honduras Tegucigalpa 
			 2003-04 Nicaragua Managua 
			 2005-06 Madagascar Antananarivo 
			 2005-06 Paraguay Asuncion 
			 2006-07 East Timor Dili 
		
	
	Operations were also suspended in our embassy in Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire) in April 2005 due to the security situation, although we maintain one diplomatic representative there.
	The FCO continuously reviews the deployment of its resources and aligns them flexibly in line with UK interests to the benefit of the British taxpayer.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government operates any scientific research stations in South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.

Gillian Merron: The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) operates two year-round research stations at South Georgia. The station at King Edward Point is operated on behalf of the FCO and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the station at Bird Island is operated to carry out core science for BAS.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing around South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands is controlled and that fish stocks remain at sustainable levels in that area.

Gillian Merron: Fishery protection and management are the responsibility of the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands which uses a range of measures including a strict licensing regime, fisheries protection vessels, at sea inspections, satellite-based vessel monitoring systems and the deployment of observers.
	The Foreign Commonwealth Office represents UK interests at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). A key UK objective at CCAMLR is to defend the integrity and economic viability of the South Georgia fishery. This is achieved by obtaining consensus on total allowable catch (TAC) limits which are agreed on the basis of robust scientific evidence. The UK strives to ensure that CCAMLR adopts effective conservation measures to curb illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing across the Southern Ocean as a whole.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the populations of  (a) southern fur seals,  (b) elephant seals,  (c) albatrosses and  (d) petrels are being protected in and around South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.

Gillian Merron: The government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Antarctic Survey work collaboratively to protect wildlife on South Georgia. The Government works closely with the Commission of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the international Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels to conserve most of South Georgia's breeding populations. In addition the GSGSSI has a number of polices in place to protect life in both the marine and terrestrial environment, these include the designation of specially protected areas, specially protected species as well as prohibitions on disturbing, killing, capturing or exporting native fauna. These are set out in South Georgia's Plan for ProgressManaging the Environment 2006-2010.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department plans to provide funding to South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands to dismantle the former whaling stations in  (a) Prince Olav Harbour,  (b) Leith Harbour,  (c) Stromness and  (d) Husvik.

Gillian Merron: The FCO has no plans to provide funding to South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands to dismantle the former whaling stations. In 1991 the leases of the former whaling stations reverted to the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI), therefore the responsibility to fund the dismantlement of the former whaling stations rests with the GSGSSI. The GSGSSI spent approximately 5 million to make the Grytviken whaling station safe for visitors. It is beyond the means of the GSGSSI to fund any further projects of this nature in the remaining stations. Visitors are prohibited from entering within 200 m of these stations for safety reasons.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's plans are for future provision of  (a) medical care and  (b) search and rescue facilities in South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.

Gillian Merron: The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) funds the provision of a doctor at King Edward Point to support the local community and fishing industry. There are no search and rescue facilities or other emergency services on the Islands, nor are there any plans to develop such facilities.
	In the event of a Search and Rescue incident the Commander of the British Forces in the South Atlantic Islands (CBFSAI) will coordinate any response using any appropriate assets that are available in the area at the time.
	The GSGSSI has introduced measures to reduce the risk of major incidents by insisting visitors are supported by a dedicated vessel and by introducing restrictions on the passenger capacity of visiting vessels.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is sponsoring schemes in South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands to promote biodiversity and conservation of endangered species in the area.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (FCO) the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) work collaboratively to investigate and protect biodiversity and ensure the conservation of endangered species at South Georgia. The BAS have a long-term monitoring and survey programme which monitors seabird and seal population dynamics, feeding ecology and reproductive performance. The GSGSSI has strict procedures in place to prevent the introduction or transfer of alien species and in support of this the FCO is part-funding the development of a biosecurity store to be built at South Georgia to safeguard native species and control invasive species.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much revenue was generated in the South Georgia and Sandwich Islands from  (a) sale of fishing licences,  (b) harbour administration charges and  (c) stamp sales in the year 2008.

Gillian Merron: The audited accounts for 2008 are not yet available. The provisional figure for revenue generated by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in 2008 from the sale of fishing licences was 4,410,384 (over 80 per cent. of which is spent on managing the fishery). The provisional figure for revenue generated by harbour administration charges and stamp sales was 153,159 and 108,019 respectively.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department will bring forward proposals to improve transport facilities in South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands to encourage tourism to the islands.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no plans to improve transport facilities in South Georgia. The principle objective of tourism management for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is to ensure the continued protection of the island's unique environment, including its flora, fauna and cultural heritage. While the numbers of tourists visiting South Georgia has increased in recent years, visitor landings are managed by the government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands so that authorised visitors may continue to have access to approved landing sites in a safe and regulated manner, whilst minimising any potential impacts on the island's unique heritage.

Falkland Islands Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the objective is of the research which is being conducted by the British Antarctic Survey's scientific and support team in South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.

Gillian Merron: British Antarctic Survey (B AS) scientists are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands to carry out a programme of applied fisheries research at the facility at King Edward Point in support of the sustainable management of fisheries around the island. The BAS scientific research at Bird Island is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and focuses on seabird and seal population dynamics, feeding ecology and reproductive performance. This programme is aimed at providing robust scientific advice to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources for the management of Southern Ocean fisheries.

Holidays Abroad: Death

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens died whilst on holiday abroad in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 January 2009
	Records held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office do not distinguish whether a British National, who has died overseas, was on holiday or resident in country. For information relating to the number of British citizens who have died while abroad, I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1176W.

Ireland: Official Visits

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in 2008 the President of the Irish Republic visited Great Britain; and which official UK representative met her on each visit.

Caroline Flint: President McAleese visited Great Britain on two occasions in 2008.
	The first occasion was a visit to Liverpool in June to participate in the celebration of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture. In the course of the visit, the President was met by Dame Lorna Muirhead, Lord Lieutenant for Merseyside.
	The second occasion was a visit to London in November, during which the President spoke at the London School of Economics and was guest of honour at the annual Queen's University Association dinner.

Middle East

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the policy of Palestinian leaders on recognition of the state of Israel as a Jewish state; what recent discussions he has had with Arab governments on the issue; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are in constant communication with Palestinian and Arab leaders to seek to advance the peace process and secure a two-state solution, including full recognition of Israel.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will refer the conflict in Gaza to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for investigation.

Bill Rammell: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the House on 19 January 2008,  Official Report, column 501:
	allegations must be closely and speedily investigated. Obviously, the three key parties to that investigation are the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Government of Israel, and we are in touch with all of them.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers and  (c) officials in his Department have had with (i) Arab states and (ii) the government of Israel on the rights of Jewish refugees from Arab lands; what response was received from each; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have had no such discussions.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct the United Kingdom ambassador to the United Nations to make representations against the reported use by Israel of depleted uranium shells and projectiles in the invasion of Gaza.

Bill Rammell: It is not clear whether Israeli forces have used depleted uranium munitions. We have made clear to the Israeli Government that they should do everything in their power to avoid innocent casualties.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli government on the reported use of depleted uranium shells and projectiles in the invasion of Gaza.

Bill Rammell: It is not clear whether Israeli forces have used depleted uranium munitions. We made clear to the Israeli Government that they should do everything in their power to avoid innocent casualties.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) his Israeli counterpart and  (b) officials of the International Criminal Court on investigation of Israel's Gaza military operation.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 20 January 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been in frequent contact with Foreign Minister Livni and Defence Minister Barak.
	He has had no contact with officials from the International Criminal Court.
	As the Foreign Secretary told the House on 19 January 2008,  Official Report, column 501:
	allegations must be closely and speedily investigated. Obviously, the three key parties to that investigation are the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Government of Israel, and we are in touch with all of them.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the alleged hijacking of aid convoys by Hamas in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of reports that Hamas has been taking control of aid sent to Gaza from Arab countries.
	We have repeatedly called publicly and privately for full and safe access for humanitarian agencies so that help can reach those in need. We urge all parties to respect their obligations, and to ensure the safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of  (a) women and  (b) children who were (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured and (iii) slightly injured in Gaza as a result of being struck by rockets aimed at Israel in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold this information.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take of Article 13 of the Hamas charter in assessing Hamas's suitability as a partner for peace in the Middle East; what recent representations he has received on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have consistently made clear that to be a credible partner in peace Hamas need to accept the Quartet Principles of recognition of Israel, acceptance of previous agreement with Israel and rejection of violence.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of Iran in relation to the  (a) funding,  (b) training and  (c) arming of (i) Hezbollah, (ii) Hamas and (iii) al-Qaeda; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have serious concerns about Iranian support for Hezbollah. Iran provides Hezbollah with significant financial resources, military equipment and training. Many of the most lethal and sophisticated weapons that Hezbollah used during the Israel/Lebanon conflict were of Iranian manufacture or procured from Iran. Such support is unacceptable and only serves to undermine regional security. Arms supplies to Hezbollah are contrary to the arms embargo established by UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701.
	We also have long-standing concerns about the support that Iran provides in the form of funding, arms and training to Palestinian Rejectionist Groups including Hamas, which are undermining peace in the middle east through violence. We hope that Iran will give political and diplomatic support to the Palestinian Authority in its attempts to build institutions and improve security.
	We understand that Iran continues to hold some al-Qaeda (AQ) members in custody, but that members of AQ and affiliated groups have used, and possibly continue to use, Iran as a base, transit route and refuge. We have urged Iran to act against this and to co-operate fully with the rest of the international community against terrorism, as required by UNSCR 1373.
	The UK would like to see Iran making a positive contribution to creating a secure, stable and prosperous middle east. But its current behaviour is a cause for serious concern for us and others. Iran needs to work with the international community and its regional neighbours to restore confidence in its intentions.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to report the Israeli Government to the UN War Crimes Tribunal; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary told the House on 19 January 2008,  Official Report, column 501:
	allegations must be closely and speedily investigated. Obviously, the three key parties to that investigation are the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Government of Israel, and we are in touch with all of them.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) meetings,  (b) telephone calls and  (c) e-mails has he had with the Israeli ambassador since 27 December 2008.

Bill Rammell: I have met ambassador Prossor on several occasions during this period. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been in direct regular communication with Foreign Minister Livni and Defence Minister Barak.

NATO

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the relevance of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty to applicants for membership of NATO.

Caroline Flint: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a political and military alliance with a collective defence commitment enshrined in article 5 of its founding treaty, which extends to member countries only.
	While the commitment under article 5 of the Washington treaty is unquestionably a significant attraction for nations aspiring to join the alliance, there are also real benefits to be derived for these aspirants and for wider Euro-Atlantic security from the process of democratic and defence reforms required in the preparation phase for NATO membership. These are clearly demonstrated (and assessed regularly) in the development of good governance, the rule of law and stability within all applicant countries.

Rashid Rauf

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any official in his Department had any contact with Mr. Rashid Rauf in  (a) Pakistan and  (b) Afghanistan during 2006.

Bill Rammell: No official in the Department had any such contact.

Russia: Detainees

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of progress on President Medvedev's commitment to end legal nihilism in the Russian legal system.

Caroline Flint: We welcome President Medvedev's focus on the need to strengthen the rule of law in Russia, including his focus on tackling corruption and promoting the independence of the judiciary.
	It is a positive sign that President Medvedev signed a package of anti-corruption laws on 25 December 2008. However, the challenges are immense and the test will be in the implementation. We raised our concerns, most recently, at the UK/Russia bilateral human rights talks on 16 January 2009.

Self-Determination of States

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of  (a) the claim for independence of Kosovo from Serbia and  (b) the claims of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Kosovo's independence was the culmination of a UN-led political process, envisaged in UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (99), to determine its final status. This process exhausted all avenues to negotiate a solution between the parties and in the UN Security Council. In declaring independence, Kosovo explicitly undertook to implement the UN Special Envoy's Comprehensive Settlement proposals, including the provisions on minority and community rights. It has adopted a constitution and legislative framework which give effect to this undertaking.
	The UK recognised Kosovo on 18 February 2008. Kosovo has been recognised by a total of 54 states, has diplomatic missions accredited to 10 states and has applied for membership of the International Monetary Fund and other international organisations.
	Russia recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia immediately following Russia's military action against Georgia. This occurred without any process of negotiation to seek a durable solution. Russia's use of disproportionate force and its violation of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity had no justification. Russia's actions were in defiance of successive UN Security Council Resolutions, most recently UNSCR 1808 (2008), which Russia had supported.
	Russia's recognition of the separatist regions, and its use of disproportionate force to achieve its objectives undermine the principles of multilateralism and Russia's own reputation as a reliable member of the international community and the United Nations. Russia has isolated itself on this issue. Only Russia and Nicaragua have recognised these entities.
	The general criteria that we apply for recognition of an independent state remain as described in the written answer dated 16 November 1989,  Official Report, column 494, by then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (the hon. Tim Sainsbury). We consider that Kosovo has met these criteria, but that South Ossetia and Abkhazia have not.

Special Envoy for Conflict Resolution

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Conflict Resolution has had with  (a) the United Nations,  (b) the African Union and  (c) the European Union since his appointment; and what issues were discussed.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 22 January 2009
	The right hon. Jack McConnell MSP, the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Conflict Resolution Mechanisms, has established a dialogue on multilateral approaches to post conflict stabilisation with the UN, the EU, the African Union and others.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of progress made by the technical ad hoc border committee in delineating the 1 January 1956 border in Sudan as mandated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Gillian Merron: The work of the Technical Ad hoc Border Committee is severely delayed and its report, which under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was due by July 2005, has not yet been submitted to the presidency.
	Defining and demarcating the North-South border remains one of the key obstacles to implementation of the CPA. We are fully engaged with both parties and international partners to secure full implementation of the CPA.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of progress in the work of the National Land Commission and the Southern Sudan Land Commission created by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan.

Gillian Merron: The National Land Commission has not yet been established because the National Assembly in Khartoum has yet to pass the Land Bill. The Southern Sudan Land Commission (SSLC) has been established, but the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly has not passed its own Land Bill, which is needed in addition to the national Bill, before the SSLC can exercise its functions in full.
	We will continue to seek progress on land reform as part of our efforts to support full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Sudan: Press Freedom

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Sudan to encourage it to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press in line with Sudan's obligations under article 39 of its Interim National Constitution, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Gillian Merron: We regularly raise with the Governments of Sudan (GoS) and South Sudan (GoSS) the need to fulfil obligations on human rights, including both freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The EU discussed these issues with the GoSS on 18 November 2008, and with the GoS on 3 December 2008.

Tibet: Missing Persons

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the whereabouts of the Tibetan film maker Dhondup Wangchen; and what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the matter.

Bill Rammell: Non-governmental organisations have reported that Dhondup Wangchen was detained on 26 March 2008 after completing his documentary film 'Leaving Far Behind'. Dhondup was reportedly held in the Ershilipu Detention centre, in Xining (Qinghai Province) for three months. From there he was moved to the Guangsheng Hotel in Xining, where he was last seen around 12 July, 2008. We have no further information about Dhondup's whereabouts or whether any charges have been brought against him. We have not raised this specific case with the Chinese authorities.

Tony Blair

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government has contributed towards the salary of Tony Blair for his work for the Quartet in the Middle East.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 15 January 2009
	Mr. Blair does not draw a salary in his role as Quartet Representative. The Government do support the team for Mr. Blair through a 400,000 contribution to the UN Development Trust Fund, which supports the Quartet Representative's office in Jerusalem. The Government also provides four secondees and funding for a political analyst.

Turkey: Christianity

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations about reported attacks on the title and practice of the Christian Syriac Orthodox Church in Turkey to that country's government; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We are aware of ongoing difficulties faced by all Christian groups in Turkey, including the Syriac Orthodox Church which faces particular difficulties as it is not recognised as a minority under the Lausanne Treaty (1923) and thus not formally recognised as such by the Turkish Government. As part of our ongoing bilateral dialogue we encourage Turkey to create an atmosphere of tolerance of religious difference and, where necessary, to make legislative changes to assist these groups.
	We are particularly concerned about recent legal judgments relating to property claimed by the Syriac Orthodox Church in south-eastern Turkey, which are under appeal. EU representatives have attended court hearings and the EU has also raised these cases with the Turkish authorities.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken with international partners to seek to secure a settlement based on the rule of law and on democratic principles in Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 29 January 2009
	We, with our international partners, are committed to supporting the establishment of a truly representative government that reflects the democratic will of the Zimbabwean people as expressed in the election of March 2008. Ministers are in regular contact with EU and UN counterparts to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. On 26 January, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to extend the list of individuals and entities subject to targeted measures. We have also been in regular contact with African leaders to encourage a sustainable resolution to the crisis.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time taken to process a child benefit claim has been in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: For the periods 2007-08 and 2008-09 I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 356W.
	In 2006-07, 68.3 per cent. of claims were processed in five working days and 94.9 per cent. in 36 working days.
	For 2003-04 to 2005-06 the information requested can be found in the annual reports published on HM Revenue and Customs' website at
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports
	For 1997-98 to 2002-03 child benefit was administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. The information requested for this period will have been published in the Department for Work and Pensions' departmental annual reports. HM Revenue and Customs no longer holds this information.

Child Tax Credit: EU Law

Roger Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis it was determined that child tax credit is not a family allowance for the purpose of Article 77 of EU Regulations 1408/71.

Stephen Timms: The purpose of the child tax credit is to support families in the UK. It is only given to families outside the UK in limited circumstances and to meet our obligations under EC Regulation 1408/71.
	The term family allowances is defined in the regulation as benefits payable exclusively by reference to the number and, where appropriate, age of the children in the family. However, the child tax credit is based on the number of children and on annual household income. On that basis, HM Revenue and Customs has received legal advice that the child tax credit is not a family allowance and is therefore not payable under article 77 of the regulation.

Child Trust Funds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what types of child trust funds each provider offers; and under what brand names each provider offers each type.

Ian Pearson: A table of the types of child trust fund offered by each provider can be found on the child trust fund website at the following address:
	http://www.childtrustfund.gov.uk/templates/Page_1246.aspx
	The names of the child trust funds offered by each provider can be found on the relevant provider websites links to which are available on the child trust fund website at the following address:
	http://www.childtrustfund.gov.uk/templates/Page_1243.aspx

Child Trust Funds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which child trust fund  (a) type and  (b) provider has had (i) the largest return in percentage terms since being established and (ii) the largest increase in value in a single year;
	(2)  which child trust fund  (a) type and  (b) provider has had (i) the lowest return in percentage terms since being established and (ii) the lowest increase in value in a single year;
	(3)  what plans he has to assess the child trust funds available from each provider in respect of their comparative performance; and if he will publish the increase made in value by each fund in each year;
	(4)  how many and what proportion of child trust funds have been transferred under  (a) section 7(a) and  (b) section 7(b) of the Child Trust Fund Act 2004 in each year since their inception; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold this information.

Child Trust Funds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the economic downturn on the likely performance of child trust funds; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Child trust funds are a long-term investment over an 18-year period, with the first accounts reaching maturity in 2020. Parents can choose which type of CTF account their child's money is invested in, and can transfer between account types at any time. Three types of child trust fund accounts are available. Stakeholder accounts and shares accounts invest in stocks and shares, while the savings account does not. Although shares can go down as well as up in value, particularly in the short-term, the historical evidence is that they tend to provide a better return than cash for long-term investments. Also, with CTF stakeholder accounts, the level of exposure to shares will decrease over time as money in the account is gradually moved into more cash-like investments after the child turns 13. This 'lifestyling' element will help to reduce risk before maturity.

Child Trust Funds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of child trust funds opened under  (a) section 5 and  (b) section 6 of the Child Trust Fund Act 2004 in each year since their inception; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: This information is available in table 2 of the Child Trust Fund Statistical Report 2008 which can be found at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/statistical-report-2008.pdf

Child Trust Funds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the number and percentage of eligible children who have not had a child trust fund opened on their behalf in each year since their inception; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Every eligible child has had a Child Trust Fund account opened for them. If the account opening voucher is not used by the child's parents then the Government set up an account on behalf of the child.

Child Trust Funds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total monetary value was of all child trust funds in each year since their inception; and how many such funds there were in each year;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of child trust funds have received contributions and subscriptions other than  (a) those specified in sections 8 to 10 of the Child Trust Fund Act 2004 and  (b) those resulting from the growth in value of the child trust fund.

Ian Pearson: This information is available in table 3 of each year's Child Trust Fund Statistical Report which can all be found at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/stats.htm

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 228W, on council tax: valuation, what payments from the public purse have been made to  (a) CapGemini,  (b) SAS and  (c) Cole Layer Trumbie/Tyler Technologies for work on the council tax banding support tool.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 370W.

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model makes of locality adjustment factors for council tax valuations in England.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave the hon. Member on 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1218W.

Deflation

Robert Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to reduce the risk of deflation in the economy.

Ian Pearson: The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has full operational independence in meeting the Government's inflation target. The remit of the MPC sets a symmetric inflation target.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in departmental buildings in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: Nothing.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the IT systems in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are fully accredited to the Government's security standards.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury and the Treasury Group maintain a range of secure information systems on the Government's secure networks, and has always strived to ensure the that these systems are secure. Prior to June 2008, these were assured using a risk management approach in line with central Government guidance applicable at the time. Since the final report of the Cabinet Office's Data Handling Procedures in Government, the Treasury has established a revised programme of assurance to ensure that all systems comply with the new accreditation standards going forward. In accordance with the recommendations of that review, progress will be reported in the Statement on Internal Control in the Treasury Group's consolidated resource accounts for 2008-09 and future years.

Departmental Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury has taken a dual approach to advise staff of pension options available. These are as follows: First, the provision of information regarding additional voluntary contributions and added year's are available on HM Treasury's intranet site; and secondly, the holding of pensions 'surgeries' at which options are outlined.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which external organisations his Department has engaged to provide training for fast stream civil service staff in the last three years; and how many civil servants in his Department have participated in provision of training for external organisations in that period.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury does not distinguish between fast stream civil service staff and other colleagues who enter the organisation at the same grade. In the last three years, training courses have been provided to HM Treasury by the following external providers, of which fast stream civil service staff in post at HM Treasury, were eligible to attend:
	PA Consulting
	Dynamic Learning Solutions
	National School of Government
	Parity
	Oxford Development Partnership
	Bray Leino
	Angel Scott Associates (now Global Economics)
	Management Development Partnership
	Birkbeck College
	Oasis Consulting (now Senan Solutions)
	Praesta
	Oxford Group
	Cedar
	Jarrolds
	HM Treasury does not hold central training records on training that staff might provide to external organisations.

Departmental Video Recordings

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 5150-51W, on the Valuation Office: video recordings, what training videos or digital equivalents for council tax valuation work his Department uses.

Stephen Timms: Training videos or digital equivalents are not used within the VOA's programmes of structured learning for council tax valuation work.

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy where an answer refers to material published on his Department's website to ensure that  (a) a copy will be made available to the hon. Member who tabled the question and  (b) place a copy of the material will be placed in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: It has been the practice of successive Administrations to refer Members to publications and other source documents from which information they are seeking can be extracted.

EU Grants and Loans

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons his Department declined to accept an extension on spending deadlines for England for European structural funding in England; what estimate he has made of the amount of money under such structural funding provisions for England which was unspent at 31 December 2008; whether the extension will be accepted in relation to spending in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Responsibility for structural fund programmes, including eligibility extensions, lies with the appropriate Government Departments (DCLG, DEFRA, DWP) and devolved Administrations.

Government Departments: Energy Performance Certificates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the energy efficiency rating of each government building for which figures are available, based on its most recent energy display certificate.

Margaret Beckett: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to publish the energy efficiency ratings for each government building based on data held on the Energy Performance Certificate Register as this is prohibited by Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homes have qualified for zero-rated stamp duty land tax on zero-carbon homes to date.

Stephen Timms: The zero stamp duty land tax relief for new zero carbon homes was introduced in October 2007. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Ian Pearson) on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 909W.

Housing: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 912-3W, on housing: valuation, what the definition of a live locality is.

Stephen Timms: A 'live' locality is one that is currently in use.

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Hoon) on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 10W, about cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Planning Permission

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 378W, on planning permission, what planning applications were made by his Department between 1997-98 and 2001-02; and for what purpose in each case.

Angela Eagle: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 717W, to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude).

Public Sector: Pensions

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the circumstances and extent of the overpayment of public sector pensions by Xafinity Paymaster.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I gave to the House on 16 December 2008,  Official Report, column 111WS. This explained the circumstances in which pension overpayments occurred and indicated the estimated number and amount of the overpayments.
	A number of different parties are involved in the process. Xafinity Paymaster administers pensions on behalf of the NHS and armed forces schemes. Cabinet Office, judicial and teachers' schemes use different administrators. The causes of the overpayments have been investigated by pension scheme administrators, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Department for Work and Pensions. From their investigations it is clear that there is no single cause. The National Audit Office will be carrying out a review of the end to end process in due course in order to pin-point accountabilities. The House will be updated further once this review has concluded.

Public Sector: Pensions

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will terminate the contract of Xafinity Paymaster in relation to the administration of public sector pensions;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to obtain repayment from Xafinity Paymaster in respect of the overpayment by them of public sector pensions.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	The written statement I gave to the House on 16 December 2008,  Official Report, column 111WS, explained the circumstances in which pension overpayments occurred. A number of different parties are involved in the process. Xafinity Paymaster pays pensions on behalf of the NHS and armed forces schemes. Cabinet Office, judicial and teachers' schemes use different pension administrators. I cannot comment on contractual issues which are delegated to individual Departments.
	The causes of the overpayments have been investigated by pension scheme administrators, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Department for Work and Pensions. From their investigations it is clear that there is no single cause. The National Audit Office will be carrying out a review of the end to end process in due course in order to pin-point accountabilities. The House will be updated further once this review has concluded. Accountability for the overpayments, and any action that needs to be taken as a result, will not be clear until the NAO has completed its review.

Redundancy: Taxation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what year the redundancy pay tax-free threshold was set at 30,000.

Stephen Timms: The 30,000 tax-free threshold has applied since 1988. The level of the threshold is kept under review, but evidence indicates that the current level exempts a large majority of redundancy payments from tax.

Revenue and Customs: Wales

Mark Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on HM Revenue and Customs expenditure of closing its office in Aberystwyth, identifying  (a) costs and  (b) savings separately; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Normally HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is unable to provide specific estate savings for a particular office for reasons of commercial sensitivity relating to the accommodation and facility contracts between HMRC and its PFI contractors. However, as HMRC's accommodation in Aberystwyth is not held under a PFI contract I can say that its vacation is estimated to contribute 83,000 to annual estate savings of about 4 million in Wales. This figure takes account of the need for continuing provision of face to face inquiry services.
	Estate savings are however only part of the overall savings HMRC expects to achieve as a result of business efficiencies arising from restructuring, and have not been a primary factor in taking decisions on whether a particular office should be retained or vacated. The main consideration has been whether there is a business requirement to retain the office.
	While HMRC recognises that there will be short-term costs associated with the closure of its office in Aberystwyth, reliable figures will only be established once solutions have been found for all staff and the accommodation has been vacated.

Stamp Duties

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he plans to reduce the stamp duty threshold to 125,000;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the temporary increase in stamp duty thresholds; and how it will be financed.

Stephen Timms: The estimated cost of the stamp duty holiday was published at the pre-Budget report, which can be accessed here:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/prebud_pbr08_repindex.htm.
	The funding of this is not hypothecated to a particular source of revenue. The holiday is due to end at midnight on 3 September 2009.

Stamp Duties

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals to reduce levels of stamp duty for individuals in shared purchaser arrangements when they are purchasing the share of a house not in their possession;
	(2)  if he will bring forward proposals to allow house purchasers to pay stamp duty only on the proportion of the house not in their ownership under shared purchaser arrangements.

Ian Pearson: Stamp duty, like all other taxes is kept under review. Details on the stamp duty treatment of shared ownership purchases can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/so/shared-owner.htm

Taxation: Bingo

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet representatives of the bingo industry to discuss the levels of taxation upon their activities.

Angela Eagle: The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review and decisions about gambling taxation are made at Budget alongside all tax and spending decisions. The Government take all relevant factors into consideration when establishing and maintaining fair regimes for the gambling taxes. These include the state of the industry and wider conditions within the economy.
	As part of the normal Budget process Ministers and officials have been in periodic contact with representatives of the bingo industry and will continue to meet them as part of the normal Budget process.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 963W, on Valuation Office: handbooks, if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent editions of  (a) Introduction to Inspections,  (b) CT Referencers Manual,  (c) Digital Mapping User Guide,  (d) Rating Support Application Induction Workbook,  (e) NDR Referencers Manual and  (f) Digital Photography User Guide.

Stephen Timms: A copy of the Valuation Office Agency's Introduction to Inspections Workbook, CT Referencers Manual and NDR Referencers Manual will be placed in the Library.
	The Digital Mapping User Guide, RSA Induction Workbook and Digital Photography User Guide are technical instructions on the use of Valuation Office Agency internal IT applications. It is not appropriate to publish information which might assist unauthorised access to VOA systems or databases.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 138W, on council tax: valuation, if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the user guides and manuals for  (a) the digital mapping tool and  (b) the locality delineation tool;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the user guide for the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model software and database.

Stephen Timms: No. These guidance manuals are technical instructions on the use of Valuation Office Agency internal IT applications. It is not appropriate to publish information which might assist unauthorised access to VOA systems or databases.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent advice given to Valuation Office Agency staff on health and safety in the field, including advice on the use of surveying equipment.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 22 March 2007,  Official Report, column 122W. There has been no update to the health and safety information already placed in the Library.
	In April 2008 the Valuation Office Agency published additional health and safety e-Learning. The syllabus, titled Health and Safety Site Inspections, includes four modules covering Health and Safety Site Visits, Hazards on Site, Personal Protective Equipment and Asbestos AwarenessA Practical Guide.
	I am arranging for a viewable copy of the e-learning programme to be deposited in the Library of the House.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 989W, on the Valuation Office, at what intervals the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model is calibrated.

Stephen Timms: There are no set intervals for calibrating the models.

Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1218W, on Cole Layer Trumble, how much has been spent on payments to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies funded via the public purse  (a) directly from the Valuation Office Agency,  (b) directly from HM Revenue and Customs and  (c) indirectly via CapGemini under the ASPIRE contract since February 2007.

Stephen Timms: Unfortunately, the answer of 19 March 2008 was inaccurate in so far as the second payment quoted was made in the period from April 2007 to the end of February 2008 (not February 2007). Since February 2008, further payments to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies have totalled 14,587. All figures exclude non-recoverable VAT.

Valuation Office: Contracts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which organisations provided goods and services to the Valuation Office Agency in 2007-08; and what the address of each such organisation was.

Stephen Timms: A list of organisations, with addresses, which provided goods and services to the Valuation Office Agency, cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Valuation Office: Digital Technology

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 150-51W, on the Valuation Office: cameras, for what work the 690 cameras purchased in 2007-08 were required.

Stephen Timms: Cameras are required to support property valuation work undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency.

Valuation Office: Geographic Information Systems

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 19 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1226W, on Valuation Office: ICT, whether the Valuation Office Agency's Geographic Information System will assist with the utilisation of locality adjustment factors within the automated valuation model.

Stephen Timms: The Valuation Office Agency's proposed geographic information system will be used to define and/or show on a map the localities to which dwellings are allocated for the purposes of automated valuation modelling. Adjustment factors are attributed to these localities in the modelling process.

Valuation Office: Geographic Information Systems

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 1688-89W, on Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems, how mapping data from Ordnance Survey will be integrated into the proposed Geographical Information System; and whether it will be used to assess the value significance of particular property attributes.

Stephen Timms: It is proposed that mapping data from Ordnance Survey will be loaded into the proprietary Geographic Information System (GIS) software. GIS will be one of a number of tools used by valuers to assist in assessing the impact of features that may affect the value of property.

Valuation Office: Land Registry

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1317W, on Valuation Office: Land Registry, whether the Valuation Office Agency uses the Land Registry Direct Service for  (a) council tax valuation purposes and  (b) populating the automated valuation model with property data.

Stephen Timms: The majority of data used by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) for  (a) council tax purposes and  (b) populating the automated valuation models is drawn from stamp duty land tax information. The Land Registry Direct Service has not been used as a matter of course but is a further source of information; its availability to the VOA is identical to any other public or private body.

Valuation Office: Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of each edition of the Valuation Office Agency's IT Services Division Newsletter to Billing Authorities produced since May 2007.

Stephen Timms: There have been no Valuation Office Agency's IT Services Division Newsletters to Billing Authorities produced since May 2007.

Valuation Office: Parking

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether employees of the Valuation Office Agency whose office is located within the workplace parking charging zone being introduced by Nottingham City Council will be liable to pay the charge in whole or in part.

Stephen Timms: Nottingham city council has not yet agreed the Work Place Parking Levy Scheme. The Agency will examine the details of the scheme and determine the policy to be followed, should Nottingham city council proceed with the implementation of the proposed Work Place Parking Levy Scheme.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum duration is of the renewed contract between the Valuation Office Agency, HM Revenue and Customs and Rightmove; and on what date the new contract was signed;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 964W, on Valuation Office: Rightmove, upon what terms the extension to the contract with Rightmove was agreed; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the new contract, redacting commercially sensitive elements.

Stephen Timms: A redacted copy of the contract extension and variation to the original contract, both signed on 20 November 2008, will be placed in the Library of the House.

Valuation Office: Secondment

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been seconded  (a) to and  (b) from the Valuation Office Agency in the last 12 months; and what divisions of the Agency such staff were seconded (i) to and (ii) from.

Stephen Timms: There have been no secondments into or out of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in the last 12 months. There have been six loansthat is, short-term moves between Government Departments in total  (a) to and  (b) from the VOA in the last 12 months, as detailed:
	(i) One to VOA Finance and Planning
	(ii) One from VOA Human Resources
	One from VOA Local Taxation
	One from VOA Finance and Planning
	One from VOA Rating

Valuation: Conferences

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentations and handouts produced by the  (a) Director of Council Tax and  (b) Head of AVM Development at the Valuation Office Agency at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' automated valuation models conference in November 2008.

Stephen Timms: A copy of these presentations, and an accompanying paper, has been placed in the Library.

Valuation: Conferences

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation on Revaluation 2010 given by the Valuation Office Agency at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' rating annual conference in June 2008.

Stephen Timms: A copy of this presentation, made by a representative of the Valuation Office Agency, has been placed in the Library.

VAT

Robert Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made on the effect on inflation of the reduction in value added tax to 15 per cent.

Stephen Timms: In pre-Budget report 2008 (Cm7484), it was assumed that the majority of the VAT rate cut will be passed through to consumer prices, but that prices will be reduced progressively rather then immediately. This is in line with international evidence.
	The Office for National Statistics published statistics on UK inflation in December on 20 January 2009. Their First Release discusses the VAT reduction in the context of inflation estimation and can be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/cpi0109.pdf.
	It concludes that the VAT reduction made the largest contribution to the sharp fall in inflation to 3.1 per cent.

VAT: Business

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the administrative cost to business of the recent temporary reduction in the rate of value added tax following the reduction coming into force;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the administrative cost to business of the recent temporary reduction in the rate of value added tax prior to that reduction coming into force;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of the administrative cost to business of a variation in the rate at which value added tax is levied.

Stephen Timms: Estimated costs to business in the UK are published in the impact assessment of changes to the standard rate of VAT. This is available on the HM Treasury website. Reliable cost estimates cannot be produced on a regional basis.

VAT: Energy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of changes to value added tax revenues as a result of changes in domestic gas and electricity prices in the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: No specific estimate has been made.

JUSTICE

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there were for offences relating to the torture of animals in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against for offences relating to animal cruelty, in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest published) are contained in the following table. There is no specific offence for the torture of animals.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against for offences relating to animal cruelty( 1)  in England and Wales, 2003 - 07( 2, 3) 
			   Number 
			 2003 999 
			 2004 984 
			 2005 1,061 
			 2006 981 
			 2007 1,064 
			 (1) Includes the following offences  statutes; Cruelty to Animals. (Protection of Animals Act 1911). Causing, permitting or failing to prevent unnecessary suffering. (S4  32(1) Animal Welfare Act 2006. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence  Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions were brought for offences relating to the illegal importation of animals into the UK in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to the illegal import of animals in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) is in the following table.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at all courts for offences relating to the illegal import of animals( 1) , England and Wales, 2003 - 07( 2, 3) 
			   Total 
			 2003 16 
			 2004 9 
			 2005 3 
			 2006 16 
			 2007 22 
			 (1) Includes the following: Offences under the Animal and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations 2006 Offences under the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and other Mammals) order 1974 Offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many successful prosecutions for breeding a prohibited breed of dog there were in 2007.

Maria Eagle: Seven defendants have been found guilty of breeding or breeding from a fighting dog, under S.1 (2) (a) of the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act, England and Wales in 2007.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 410W, on apprentices, what progress has been made on increasing the number of apprentices in his Department; and how many apprentices his Department employed at the latest date for which figures are available.

Michael Wills: Since May 2008, the Ministry of Justice has been working with skills sector councils to promote apprenticeships across a range of subjects to all MOJ employees. The number of people currently employed undertaking apprenticeships is 364. The following table gives a breakdown of these by subject.
	
		
			  Apprenticeship title  Number 
			 Customer Service 212 
			 Business and Administration 59 
			 Management 53 
			 Team Leader 16 
			 IT 10 
			 Community Justice 1 
			 Accounting 1 
			 Data Analysis 1 
			   
			 Total 353 
		
	
	Additionally 11 participants are taking part in the in the Civil Service West Midlands Apprenticeship pilot scheme, working towards Management and Team Leader Apprenticeships.

Approved Premises

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) residential approved premises exclusively for (i) male and (ii) female offenders and bailees and  (b) mixed-sex residential approved premises there are in (A) each of the English criminal justice regions and (B) Wales; in which town or locality each is sited; and how many residents there were in each on the last Friday of each of the last 24 months for which figures are available.

David Hanson: A table which has been placed in the Library shows information for each criminal justice region: the names of the current approved premises (APs) and the town or city in which each is located; whether the AP is all-male, all-female or mixed-sex; the total number of APs of each type for each region; and the number of residents in each AP for each month between December 2006 and November 2008 (the most recent month for which complete figures are available). Numbers of residents in approved premises are recorded on the last day of each month, rather than on the last Friday of the month.
	Approved premises provide for enhanced and effective supervision of certain offenders which would be much more difficult to achieve if such offenders were dispersed into less suitable accommodation in the community.

Bail Accommodation and Support Scheme

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) defendants and  (b) offenders have been placed in ClearSprings accommodation since the start of the Bail Accommodation and Support Scheme.

Jack Straw: The service commenced on 18 June 2007. Up to 26 January 2009, 1,292 defendants on bail and 1,048 offenders on home detention curfew had been placed in ClearSprings accommodation.

Bail Accommodation and Support Services: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when he expects the second bail hostel planned for Milton Keynes to be operational; and what its capacity will be;
	(2)  what the capacity of the bail hostel in Milton Keynes is.

David Hanson: I take the hon. Member to be referring to the accommodation and support service for bail and Home Detention Curfew provided to NOMS by ClearSprings. The service does not provide hostels. There is currently one property in Milton Keynes with three places. A second three bed roomed property is being sought. It is not possible to predict by when a property will be found and brought into use.

Debt Collection

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance under what title Her Majesty's Court Service has issued to bailiffs in the last 12 months; and when each was most recently updated.

Bridget Prentice: Her Majesty's Courts Service employs county court bailiffs and civilian enforcement officers as well as private enforcement agent organisations to execute warrants on behalf of Her Majesty's Courts Service in England and Wales.
	Her Majesty's Courts Service regularly issues guidance and direction to its staff and enforcement agents on a variety of issues. This includes both operational and personal guidance. The guidance is issued from a number of sources within Her Majesty's Courts Service and the Ministry of Justice.
	The cost associated with specifying what guidance and under what title has been issued to bailiffs in the last 12months would be disproportionate and my Department has therefore not been able to provide details.

Departmental ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) first estimate,  (b) last estimate and  (c) outturn cost was of each of the 30 largest IT contracts his Department has entered into with external suppliers since the Department was established.

Maria Eagle: The Department was created in May 2007 and most of the Department's IT contracts are legacy contracts from the former Department for Constitutional Affairs, Home Office and Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	Two contracts awarded since the Department was established are ongoing and there are no outturn costs to report. A small number of other IT contracts are managed at local business level and information on these is not held centrally.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East, of 13 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 870-1W, on departmental manpower, how many  (a) staff without posts and  (b) staff classified as priority movers there are in his Department and its agencies; how many of the staff without posts were classified as such after returning from maternity leave; and how many of the staff without posts have been classified as such for at least (a) six months and (b) 12 months.

Michael Wills: There are less than five people that are classified as staff without posts in the Department so this information is withheld on grounds of confidentiality.
	There are 126 permanent staff classified as priority movers within the Ministry of Justice. The figure comprises both full-time and part-time staff. All are actively in employment. However, due to business reasons, for example, restructuring, relocation, closure of offices/courts, the end of projects/secondments etc, their substantive posts have come to or are potentially coming to an end.
	There are no staff who after returning from maternity leave have been classified as without posts, nor are there any staff without posts who have been classified as such for at least six or 12 months. Of the 126 permanent staff that are currently classified as priority movers, less than 10 have been in this category for at least six months and less than 15 for at least 12 months.

Departmental Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff his Department employs.

Jack Straw: On 31 December 2008, (the latest date for which figures are available) the Ministry of Justice employed 76,872 full-time equivalent staff.

Departmental Official Residences

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 19W, on departmental official residences, whether the council tax bills for  (a) HM Courts Service and  (b) HM Prison Service residential accommodation are paid from public funds; and what his Department's policy is on whether the proposed new charges for the collection of household waste will be funded by the public purse or personally by the occupying staff member.

David Hanson: For Judges Lodgings the council tax bills for residential properties held by HM Courts Service (occupied by judges' lodgings managers and court keepers/custodians), are paid for by the individual resident staff who pay rental for their occupation. HMCS does not meet the cost from the public funds.
	HM Courts Service has not yet decided on the policy that it will adopt to recover the proposed new charges in respect of the collection of household waste. Where charges may accrue in respect of household waste, HMCS may look to the individual to meet the cost (as in the case of recovering rent), but this would be considered against the actual amount due and the time and cost to recover same.
	Staff that occupy National Offender Management Service provided residential accommodation (most commonly known as prison officer quarters) are liable for all local taxes. No consideration has been given to meeting any new local taxes from the public purse.

Departmental Public Consultation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Dundee East of 30 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 511-14W, on departmental public participation, if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the non-confidential individual responses to the 2007 bailiff regulation document.

Bridget Prentice: 414 readable responses were received following the publication of the 2007 Bailiff regulation document. An analysis of these responses was undertaken and a report was published in March 2008. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library. It is our intention to place in the Library a copy of all 414 readable responses to this paper by the 16 February 2009.

Departmental Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of his Department's contracts with public relations consultancies was in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Since its creation in May 2007 to 31 March 2008, the Ministry of Justice spend on Public Relations consultancies was 290,476. From April 2008 to date the Ministry of Justice has spent 87,797. Due to machinery of government changes it is not possible to identify comprehensive data for the earlier time periods prior to May 2007.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008; how many such training sessions were held in 2008; and how many staff in his Department attended at least one such training course.

Michael Wills: There was no expenditure by the Ministry of Justice on digital media training courses provided by the Internet Advertising Bureau in 2008. No such training sessions were held for MOJ staff.

Departmental Working Hours

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the policy of his Department and its agencies is on granting staff time off in lieu for working  (a) in lunch breaks,  (b) in evenings and  (c) at other times outside contracted working hours; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The majority of staff in the Ministry of Justice are covered by flexible working arrangements which, subject to working appropriate core hours, provide staff with a degree of flexibility while enabling the Ministry and its Agencies to provide an effective service for our customers.
	Flexible working arrangements mean that staff who work in excess of their contracted hours, whether during lunch breaks, in evenings or at other times, gain credit on their flexi-hours. Those who accrue sufficient hours credit, may (subject to prior management approval) take the appropriate number of hours as 'flexi leave'.
	This approach allows excess hours to be accrued and taken as leave at such times that both meet the needs of the business and support the work-life balance of our staff.

Departmental Working Hours

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days off in lieu were granted to staff in  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies for working (i) in lunch breaks and (ii) at other times outside contracted working hours, in the last year for which figures are available.

Shahid Malik: Time off in-lieu is available under locally agreed Flexible Working Hours arrangements. The number of hours worked and time taken off in lieu are recorded locally by managers can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Driving Offences

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of reckless driving offences during their first 12 months as licensed drivers in  (a) Ribble Valley,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Available information held by the Ministry of Justice on convictions at all courts for offences of dangerous and careless driving in Lancashire police force area and England and Wales for the years 2003 to 2007 (latest available) is provided in the following table.
	from Information held centrally it is not possible to provide constituency level data.
	Information on the number of findings of guilt during the first 12 months as a licensed driver are not held by the Ministry of Justice.
	There is no specific offence for reckless driving, thus the number of findings of guilt at all courts for offences of dangerous and careless driving for Lancashire Police force area and England and Wales has been provided in lieu.
	Data for 2008 should be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Findings of guilt at all courts for offences of dangerous and careless driving, in Lancashire police force area, and England and Wales, 2003-07( 1,2) 
			  Number of offences 
			   Police force area 
			  Findings of guilt  Lancashire  England and Wales 
			 2003 918 38,478 
			 2004 744 37,133 
			 2005 696 35,869 
			 2006 756 33,670 
			 2007 921 43,525 
			 (1) It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: The Office for Criminal Justice ReformEvidence and Analysis Unit Data taken from Table S6.15(b) of Crim Stats Sup vol. 6 (motoring offences), years 2003-07.

Fraud: Elections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 150W, on fraud: elections, what progress has been made on the Government's plans to bring forward further legislation to implement its policy on requiring valid signatures for the issue of ballot papers in polling stations.

Michael Wills: The Government continue to consider how this measure could most effectively be implemented. We must ensure, however, that any approach to this issue is aligned with other reforms to the registration and electoral processes.

Freedom of Information

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to increase the budget of the Information Commissioner to assist the processing of reports under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) regularly review funding for the Office's freedom of information work.
	In response to business cases made by the ICO, the MOJ has provided the ICO with additional grant in aid over and above its original baseline for this financial year and the previous three. Figures are set out in the following table.
	The MOJ has made clear that additional funding must result in increased productivity and efficiency. The ICO has reviewed its internal processes and has adopted new procedures such as senior level triage of new cases as they are received to drive performance improvements. During the last completed quarter the ICO has closed 11 per cent. more cases than in the equivalent quarter in the last financial year.
	In the current financial year, in addition to an extra 500,000 on top of the 5 million baseline, the MOJ has promoted a secondment scheme to assist the ICO with its freedom of information casework. Currently, six civil servants are seconded to the ICO, paid for by their home departments.
	Discussions are continuing about funding for next year.
	
		
			  Grant in aid allocated to ICO for freedom of information work 
			  Financial year  Amount 
			 2008-09 5,500,000 (included additional 500,000 on 5 million baseline complemented by MOJ promotion of a scheme to second civil servants to ICO at government departments' expense). 
			 2007-08 5,050,000 (included additional 350,000 on 4.7 million baseline in response to ICO bid for funding to meet legal costs for Information Tribunal cases). 
			 2006-07 5,550,000 (included additional 850,000 on 4.7 million baseline for clearing the backlog). 
			 2005-06 5,100,000 (included additional 100,000 on 5 million baseline for reorganising Information Commissioner's office).

Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 151W, on Freedom of Information Act 2000, which  (a) regional chambers and  (b) proposed local authority leaders' boards will be subject to the provisions of the Act.

Michael Wills: If approved by both Houses, provisions within the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill (currently before the House) will disband regional chambers and replace them with local authority leaders' boards. There is currently no provision in the Bill to bring local authority leaders' board within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act. However, this matter will be given further consideration in due course.

Government Departments: Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 17 November 2008,  Official Report, House of Lords, column 166WA, on Government departments: public relations, for what reasons his Department's communications staff were not used to mount the campaign to increase public awareness of the Mental Capacity Act;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Devizes of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1670-71W, on departmental public relations, which external public relations consultancies received a portion of the 290,476 referred to; how much each received; and for what purpose the payment was made in each case;
	(3)  with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Devizes of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1670-1W, on departmental public relations, on which public relations consultancies the expenditure was incurred; how much was spent on each; and for what purpose.

Bridget Prentice: The campaign to increase public awareness of the Mental Capacity Act was devised by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) with advice and professional support from Ministry of Justice's Communications Directorate. The campaign was national in scope but needed to be targeted to reach particular people and organisations for which the Mental Capacity Act would have an impact and provide benefits. An external agency was used as the resource did not exist in the OPG, and the MOJ Communications Directorate could not dedicate sufficient resource to run such a campaign. Procuring an external agency to deliver the time-limited campaign also meant that the OPG did not have to hire extra staff and so exceed headcount limits.
	The 290,476 referred to in the answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) in November 2008 is broken down as follows;
	
		
			 
			 Four Communications and HBL Media Human Rights campaign 45,728 
			 Four Communications City of London planning application 1,880 
			 Amazon PR Family Mediation helpline and Mental Capacity Act 58,400 
			 Good Relations CJS Speedy, Simple, Summary programme and Weekly media and public affairs reports 71,978 
			 Leapfrog PR Liverpool Community Justice Centre 29,616 
			 Hopwood PR Leicester Community Justice Centre 49,255 
			 Red Consultancy Community Sentencing 33,619

HM Prison Rye Hill

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken in response to the findings of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in April 2005 that HM Prison Rye Hill was at that time an unsafe and unstable environment, both for prisoners and staff.

Shahid Malik: A Rectification Notice was issued against the contractor for Rye Hill, GSL, on 2 August 2007 to address shortcomings in performance across six key areas. Significant progress has been made by the contractor to remedy the failings identified by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. The Rectification Notice was removed in November 2008. This followed a review meeting that considered the prison had improved its performance sufficiently to justify such action.

Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many domestic dwellings have been sold at a value of between 125,000 and 175,000 according to records held by the Land Registry since the temporary increase in the stamp duty threshold.

Michael Wills: The Land Registry's latest figures cover the period since the introduction of the temporary increase in the threshold for stamp duty, until the end of December 2008. There were 32,985 domestic dwellings sold at a value between 125,000 and 175,000 during this period.

Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many domestic property transactions there were according to Land Registry data in each local authority in England and Wales in each year since 1997-98.

Michael Wills: The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Information Commissioner: Manpower

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in the Information Commissioner's Office to deal with enquiries from the public and hon. Members effectively.

Jack Straw: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is funded by a combination of grant in aid from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to pay for its freedom of information activities and notification fees paid direct to the ICO by data controllers to fund its data protection work. The Information Commissioner is independent of Government.
	The MOJ and the ICO regularly review the funding allocated to the Office. In response to business cases made by the ICO, the MOJ has provided the ICO with additional grant in aid above its original baseline for this financial year and the previous three for freedom of information work. Figures are set out in the following table.
	The MOJ has made clear that additional funding must result in increased productivity and efficiency. The ICO has reviewed its internal processes and has adopted new procedures to drive performance improvements. During quarter three, the ICO closed 11 per cent. more cases than in the equivalent quarter in the last financial year.
	In the current financial year, the MOJ additional grant amounted to 500,000, on top of its 5 million baseline. The MOJ has also promoted a secondment scheme to assist the ICO with its freedom of information casework. Currently, six civil servants are seconded to the ICO, paid for by their respective Government Departments.
	Legislation is before Parliament to provide tiered notification fees for data protection payable to the ICO. This will increase the ICO's funding in line with the Information Commissioner's estimate of the cost of meeting both his existing and proposed new statutory data protection responsibilities.
	
		
			  Grant in aid allocated to ICO for freedom of information work 
			  Financial year  Amount 
			 2008-09 5,500,000 (included additional 500,000 on 5 million baseline complemented by MOJ promotion of a scheme to second civil servants to ICO at Government Departments' expense) 
			 2007-08 5,050,000 (included additional 350,000 on 4.7 million baseline in response to ICO bid for funding to meet legal costs for Information Tribunal cases) 
			 2006-07 5,550,000 (included additional 850,000 on 4.7 million baseline for clearing the backlog) 
			 2005-06 5,100,000 (included additional 100,000 on 5 million baseline for reorganising Information Commissioner's office)

Legal Advice and Assistance: Travelling People

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding his Department has authorised the Legal Services Commission to provide for legal advice and representation for Travellers through the exceptional funding scheme in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; and in respect of which planning inquiries such funding was drawn upon in each year.

Shahid Malik: The Ministry of Justice has authorised the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to grant funding, through the exceptional funding scheme, for gypsies and travellers to be represented at planning inquiries amounting to: 33,496.22 in the financial year 2007-08, and 13,958.69 (to date) in the financial year 2008-09. The final amounts paid may have varied slightly from the figures aforementioned as the LSC can adjust the grant if necessary (for example if the hearing is longer, or shorter, than expected).

Legal Advice and Assistance: Travelling People

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding the Legal Services Commission allocated to the Community Law Partnership to provide legal advice for Travellers in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Shahid Malik: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) holds a contract with the Community Law Partnership to provide a helpline for Travellers to provide legal advice on a range of matters.
	In 2007-08 the contract for this helpline was worth 56,540 excluding VAT. In 2008-09 the contract for this helpline was worth 61,680 excluding VAT. The Gypsy and Travellers' telephone helpline receives funding each year contingent upon the Community Law Partnership delivering their contracted 1,100 hours in 2007-08 and 1,200 hours in 2008-09.
	The helpline forms a small part of the LSC's national telephone helpline, Community Legal Advice (0845 345 4 345).
	The Community Law Partnership also has a contract with the LSC to deliver services in legal categories including housing, welfare benefits and community care law. That contract is for legal help and does not include representation in court. The LSC is unable to say how much of this funding has been provided to Travellers because it does not hold information to indicate whether clients follow any particular lifestyle.

Magistrates: Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sitting magistrates there were in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The following figures show numbers of active magistrates at each financial year ending 31 March:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2008 29,419 
			 2007 29,816 
			 2006 28,865 
			 2005 28,300 
			 2004 28,029

Offenders: Personal Records

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have a record held on the Government's Offender Index database.

David Hanson: The Offenders Index holds data on court appearances in England and Wales since 1963. We cannot give a reliable figure for the total number of offenders included as we no longer use the database, except for analysis of selected cohorts. The Offenders Index was formerly used to provide estimates of reoffending rates, but since 2005, the Department has used data from the Police National Computer to provide its published figures on reoffending.

Operation Safeguard

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the maximum amount is that police forces may charge for the provision of meals to prisoners held overnight in police cells under Operation Safeguard.

Jack Straw: Under an agreement between NOMS and ACPO, the police are able to charge up to 12 for the provision of meals for a 24 hour period or part 24 hour period (this may be exceeded under exceptional circumstances).

Parking: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the workplace parking charges being introduced by Nottingham City Council will be required to be paid in whole or in part by staff in  (a) Land Registry and  (b) Legal Services Commission offices located within the workplace parking charge zone.

Michael Wills: Until a firm decision has been made as to whether the Workplace Parking Levy scheme in Nottingham is to be introduced and full details made available, neither Land Registry or the Legal Services Commission will be in a position to consider whether the parking charges introduced by the scheme will be passed on in full or in part to their staff at their Nottingham offices.

Police Custody

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases of prisoners being held in short-term police custody cells owing to insufficient prison capacity there have been in each of the last five years;
	(2)  on how many occasions Operation Safeguard cells were used in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: Operation Safeguard is the formal agreement between the National Offender Management Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers to hold prisoners in police cells at times of very high population pressure.
	Operation Safeguard was activated between 12 October and 22 December 2006 and again from 16 January 2007 to 31 October 2008. The table covers these periods and gives the aggregate total of the number of prisoner nights in which a police cell was used during each year shown. It is not possible to ascertain how many individual prisoners these totals cover.
	
		
			   Aggregate number of prisoner nights in police cells 
			 2006 4,614 
			 2007 66,711 
			 2008 17,601

Prison Service: Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prison officers and  (b) staff HM Prison Service employed in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Information on the number of prison officers and associated grades, and other staff within the Prison Service of England and Wales is contained in the following table. The figures include staff working in headquarters.
	
		
			  Prison Service Staffing (Public and Private Sectors)  2004-08 
			  As at 31 December each year  Officer and operational support grades  Other staff  Total SIP 
			 2004 33,067 18,333 51,400 
			 2005 33,963 18,069 52,032 
			 2006 34,495 18,493 52,988 
			 2007 35,749 19,227 54,976 
			 2008 36,718 20,734 57,452 
			  Notes: 1. Includes prison officers, senior officers, principal officers and operational support grades in public sector Prison Service and prison custody officers and Senior Prison Custody Officers within private establishments. 2. Figures are on a headcount basis.

Prisoners Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been released having served no more than a quarter of their sentence for offences of each type in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: Prisoners may only be released into the community earlier than the half way point of their sentence under either the home detention curfew scheme (HDC) or the end of custody licence scheme (ECL).
	The home detention curfew scheme enables suitable prisoners to be released subject to an electronically monitored curfew up to 135 days earlier than the half way point of their sentence. No prisoners are released on HDC unless they have served at least one quarter of their sentence subject to a minimum of 30 days in custody.
	Under the end of custody licence scheme eligible prisoners may be released up to 18 days earlier than the half way point of their sentence subject to serving a minimum of seven days in custody after sentence. Some prisoners serving very short sentences of between 28 days and 72 days may therefore be released on licence under the ECL scheme on or before they have served one quarter of their sentence if they meet the eligibility criteria.
	The following tables show the number of HDC and ECL releases by offence group. The HDC figures are published annually in Offender Management Caseload Statistics (most recently for 2007) and information on ECL releases is published monthly. All publications are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www-justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics.htm.
	It is not possible to provide the specific information requested on numbers of prisoners released after serving no more than a quarter of their sentence in custody without manual checking of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Home detention curfew release by offence group( 1) , 2005-07, England and Wales 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			   Population in sentence length band  Released  Release  rate (%)  Population in sentence length band  Released  Release  rate (%)  Population in sentence length band  Released  Release  rate (%) 
			 Total 54,616 17,296 32 52,987 13,666 26 53,835 11,428 21 
			   
			 Violence 10,064 3,204 32 9,840 2,490 25 10,397 2,118 20 
			 Sexual offences 1,236 2 0 1,203 0 0 1,180 0 0 
			 Robbery 2.451 901 37 2,284 709 31 2,520 694 28 
			 Burglary 6,334 1,298 20 6,168 1,069 17 6,347 945 15 
			 Theft and handling 8,846 2,107 24 8,679 1,705 20 8,227 1,380 17 
			 Fraud and forgery 2,833 1,287 45 3,243 1,169 36 3,196 917 29 
			 Drug offences 4,338 2,509 58 4,296 2,347 55 4,381 2,106 48 
			 Motoring offences 8,517 3,046 36 6,984 1,923 28 5,569 1,290 23 
			 Other(2) 9,997 2,942 29 10,290 2,254 22 12,018 1,978 16 
			 (1) Offence recorded on prison IT system. Investigations suggest that around 5 per cent. of offence types recorded on this system do not relate to the offence they were released on HDC for but relate to offences committed after release from prison and before the licence expiry date for their sentence. (2) Includes the offence of bigamy. 
		
	
	
		
			  ECL releases by offence groupDecember 2008 and cumulative totals 
			   Releases in December 2008  Year to date  2007 
			   Male  Female  Total  1 January to 31 December 2008  29 June to  31 December 2007 
			  2,498 297 2,795 31,318 16,197 
			  By offence group  
			 Violence against the person(1) 507 62 569 6,116 3,000 
			 Sexual offences 0 0 0 5 4 
			 Robbery 56 4 60 792 349 
			 Burglary 249 9 258 2.794 1,499 
			 Theft and Handling 522 125 647 7.116 3,682 
			 Fraud and Forgery 46 12 58 656 291 
			 Drug offences 111 6 117 1,322 691 
			 Motoring offences 284 7 291 3,473 2,032 
			 Other offences 682 64 746 8,431 4,362 
			 Offence not recorded 41 8 49 513 287 
			 (1) Excludes serious violent offences such as murder, manslaughter, wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, child cruelty and serious explosives offences. A full list of exclusions can be found in Prison Service Instruction 42/2007 (which consolidates and replaces PSI 27/2007).  Note: Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. See Data Sources and Quality section of report for more information.  Source: Taken from Table 1 in OMCS 'ECL releases and recalls December 2008. England and Wales'

Prisoners Release

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been released on end-of-custody licence since 29 June 2007; how many of those were foreign nationals; and how many such prisoners have re-offended while on licence.

Jack Straw: Between 29 June 2007 and 31 December 2008, the latest date for which information is available, there were 47,515 prisoners released under the end of custody licence scheme. Those foreign national prisoners who either have no lawful basis upon which to remain in the UK or will be subject to deportation at the end of their sentence are not eligible for release under the end of custody licence (ECL) scheme.
	The Government have made it clear that they will seek to remove or deport those foreign nationals who commit crimes in the UK and meet the relevant criteria. Of the 47,515 prisoners who were released under the end of custody licence scheme, less than 6 per cent. of these were foreign national prisoners. Internal management information also shows that less than 1 per cent. of those foreign national prisoners who were released under the scheme were later convicted of a further offence during their period of end of custody licence.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners Transfers

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of transferring prisoners  (a) from one prison to another and  (b) to and from court was in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Details of the costs of transferring prisoners to one prison from another in England and Wales using the inter prison transfer contract are held by financial year and are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Cost of inter prison transfers  ( million) 
			 2003-04 5.64 
			 2004-05 5.79 
			 2005-06 5.97 
			 2006-07 7.38 
			 2007-08 7.64 
		
	
	Since August 2004 the contracts for the escort of prisoners have included a separate payment for every prisoner journey undertaken. The payment covers vehicle and staff costs. Details of these payments for escorting prisoners to and from courts in England and Wales are available by calendar year from 2005 and are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Cost of escorting prisoners to and from courts ( million) 
			 2005 53.32 
			 2006 55.99 
			 2007 59.17 
			 2008 61.80 
		
	
	The figures include the cost of all prisoner journeys in the London and south east contract area as to separate the escort of prisoners from police stations to prisons from the invoiced total could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	Incorrect figures for the cost of escorting prisoners to and from courts were previously given in answer to the hon. and learned Member for Harborough on 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 572W.

Prisoners: Training

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which companies were contracted by his Department to provide training for  (a) prisoners and  (b) prison staff in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what his Department's expenditure on companies contracted to train  (a) prisoners and  (b) prison staff has been in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: Training for prisoners is largely undertaken in house through courses run by prison service instructors. These courses enable prisoners to achieve vocational qualifications in areas including prison industries, catering, horticulture and gymnasium and are designed to assist prisoners gaining employment on release.
	Training to support reducing reoffending and resettlement initiatives for prisoners are provided by the suppliers detailed as follows. The expenditure is included.
	
		
			  Fiscal year  Contractor  Expenditure () 
			 2004-05 APEX Charitable Trust Ltd. 29,286 
			  Changing Tunes 1,221 
			  Connexions, Cheshire and Warrington Ltd. 363,716 
			  DWP, Job Centre Plus 570,145 
			  FPWP Hibiscus 40,050 
			  NACRO 1,541,861 
			  New Bridge 76,483 
			  PC Solutions and Support Ltd. 212 
			  Prison Fellowship England and Wales 15,632 
			  Shelter 162,205 
			  SOVA 1,851,429 
			  St. Giles Trust 295,626 
			  The Foundation Training Company 645,455 
			  Wigan Council 157,971 
			  Grand total 5,751,291 
			
			 2005-06 APEX Charitable Trust Ltd. 143,784 
			  Changing Tunes 1,221 
			  Connexions, Cheshire and Warrington Ltd. 1,319,810 
			  DWP, Job Centre Plus 192,140 
			  FPWP Hibiscus 79,871 
			  NACRO 1,683,002 
			  New Bridge 90,491 
			  PC Solutions and Support Ltd. 2,564 
			  Prison Fellowship England and Wales 187,570 
			  Shelter 467,948 
			  SOVA 2,513,675 
			  St. Petrock's (Exeter) Ltd. 15,200 
			  St. Giles Trust 529,774 
			  The Foundation Training Company 858,349 
			  Wigan Council 393,655 
			  YMCA (Partnerships in Prisons) 57,612 
			  Grand total 8,536,665 
			
			 2006-07 APEX Charitable Trust Ltd. 59,209 
			  Changing Tunes 3,571 
			  Connexions, Cheshire and Warrington Ltd. 1,119,512 
			  DWP, Job Centre Plus 188,308 
			  FPWP Hibiscus 96,797 
			  Multiscreen Channel 117,247 
			  NACRO 1,042,486 
			  NCH 2,421 
			  New Bridge 38,562 
			  Norwich and Norfolk Racial Equality Council 285 
			  PC Solutions and Support Ltd. 114,395 
			  Prison Fellowship England and Wales 223,148 
			  Shelter 538,091 
			  SOVA 3,606,892 
			  St. Petrock's (Exeter) Ltd. 25,000 
			  St. Giles Trust 557,537 
			  The Foundation Training Company 845,940 
			  Wigan Council 444,754 
			  YMCA (Partnerships in Prisons) 145,543 
			  Grand total 9,169,697 
			
			 2007-08 APEX Charitable Trust Ltd. 43,996 
			  Changing Tunes 6,347 
			  Connexions, Cheshire and Warrington Ltd. 100,899 
			  CXL 21,761 
			  DWP, Job Centre Plus 46,559 
			  FPWP Hibiscus 132,137 
			  Multiscreen Channel 71,075 
			  NACRO 276,779 
			  NCH 1,831 
			  New Bridge 46,715 
			  Norwich and Norfolk Racial Equality Council 51,000 
			  PC Solutions and Support Ltd. 81,456 
			  Prison Fellowship England and Wales 293,950 
			  Shelter 605,238 
			  SOVA 3,943,928 
			  St. Petrock's (Exeter) Ltd. 23,900 
			  St. Giles Trust 668,196 
			  The Foundation Training Co. 1,103,240 
			  Wigan Council 1,039,051 
			  YMCA (Partnerships In Prisons) 259,877 
			  Grand total 8,817,934 
			
			 2008-09 APEX Charitable Trust Ltd. 36,696 
			  Changing Tunes 12,736 
			  Connexions, Cheshire and Warrington Ltd. 4,824 
			  CXL 38,259 
			  DWP, Job Centre Plus 21,487 
			  FPWP Hibiscus 137,805 
			  Multiscreen Channel Ltd. 73,255 
			  NACRO 123,576 
			  NCH 185 
			  Newbridge 61,031 
			  Norwich and Norfolk Racial Equality Council 813 
			  PC Solutions and Support Ltd. 148,673 
			  Prison Fellowship England and Wales 253,810 
			  Prison Radio Association 12,485 
			  Shelter 521,469 
			  SOVA 1,163,931 
			  St. Petrock's (Exeter) Ltd. 27,560 
			  St. Giles Trust 595,943 
			  The Foundation Training Company 1,180,387 
			  YMCA (Partnerships in Prisons) 242,180 
			  Grand total 4,657,105 
		
	
	The following table details the companies contracted to provide training for prison staff and spend for each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Fiscal year  Contractor  Expenditure () 
			 2004-05 Cannock Chase Technical College 31,075 
			  Centre For High Performance Development 5,197 
			  National School of Government 228,548 
			  South West Peninsular Training 754 
			  Creative Forum Ltd. 53,506 
			  Empower Training Services Ltd. 31,314 
			  Forum UK Training and Human Resource Development Services Ltd. 71,840 
			  Greater Manchester Police (The) 1,931 
			  Harrop Associates Ltd. 69,203 
			  HB International 74,134 
			  Highfield Co. UK Ltd. 45,005 
			  Leeds College of Building 3,305 
			  National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Services Ltd. 999 
			  NETA Training Trust 6,472 
			  Newcastle College 5,095 
			  Office For Public Management Ltd. 10,491 
			  St. John Ambulance 29,114 
			  TDP Development Ltd. 469,561 
			  TSO Consulting 37,359 
			  Woodland Grange 39,709 
			  Industrial Training and Consultancy 14,510 
			  Abbeydale Training Ltd. 63,034 
			  RTW Training Services 347 
			  Hardaker Associates Ltd. 15,197 
			  Berkshire Consultancy Ltd. 6,512 
			  Grand total 1,314,213 
			
			 2005-06 Blackburn College 3,141 
			  Bond Solon Training Ltd. 3,026 
			  Cannock Chase Technical College 99 
			  National School of Government 258,599 
			  South West Peninsular Training 1,889 
			  Creative Forum Ltd. 57,176 
			  Empower Training Services Ltd. 30,262 
			  Forum UK Training and Human Resource Development Services Ltd. 86,405 
			  Greater Manchester Police (The) 7,088 
			  Harrop Associates Ltd. 88,400 
			  HB International 156,718 
			  Highfield Co. UK Ltd. 73,001 
			  Leadership Research and Development Ltd. 27,491 
			  Leeds College of Building 3,080 
			  National Industrial Fuel 10,085 
			  Efficiency Services Ltd.  
			  NETA Training Trust 16,846 
			  Newcastle College -3,778 
			  Office For Public Management Ltd. 734 
			  Passe-Partout Consulting Ltd. 22,623 
			  St. John Ambulance 47,195 
			  TDP Development Ltd. 827,092 
			  TSO Consulting 25,490 
			  Woodland Grange 78,958 
			  Industrial Training and Consultancy 25,334 
			  Abbeydale Training Ltd. 50,563 
			  RTW Training Services 18,841 
			  Hardaker Associates Ltd. 18,095 
			  METIS Psychological Services 4,000 
			  Rangecroft Communication Ltd. 801 
			  Bray Leino Ltd. 4,295 
			  Grand total 1,943,547 
			
			 2006-07 Blackburn College 1,646 
			  Bond Solon Training Ltd. 1,191 
			  Cannock Chase Technical College -99 
			  National School of Government 203,322 
			  South West Peninsular Training 5,199 
			  Creative Forum Ltd. 57,130 
			  Empower Training Services Ltd. 24,255 
			  Forum UK Training and Human Resource Development Services Ltd. 69,307 
			  Greater Manchester Police (The) 37,661 
			  Harrop Associates Ltd. 123,976 
			  HB International 173,284 
			  Highfield Co. UK Ltd. 84,713 
			  Leadership Research and Development Ltd. 4,668 
			  Leeds College of Building 9,867 
			  National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Services Ltd. 576 
			  NETA Training Trust 4,565 
			  Newcastle College 1,286 
			  Office For Public Management Ltd. 32,995 
			  Passe-Partout Consulting Ltd. 152,648 
			  St. John Ambulance 54,583 
			  TDP Development Ltd. 566,377 
			  TSO Consulting 145,272 
			  Woodland Grange 64,527 
			  Industrial Training and Consultancy 29,317 
			  Abbeydale Training Ltd. 40,578 
			  Hardaker Associates Ltd. 21,209 
			  Grey Cell Training Ltd. 6,690 
			  METIS Psychological Services 6,400 
			  Rangecroft Communication Ltd. 11,988 
			  Bray Leino Ltd. 57,330 
			  Roffey Park Institute 87,545 
			  The Training Consultants Ltd. 12,978 
			  Paul Roscorla Associates Ltd. 1,743 
			  Grand total 2,094,727 
			
			 2007-08 Blackburn College 16,601 
			  Cannock Chase Technical College 85,958 
			  National School of Government 328,312 
			  South West Peninsular Training 8,691 
			  Creative Forum Ltd. 40,376 
			  Empower Training Services Ltd. 22,525 
			  Forum UK Training and Human Resource Development Services Ltd. 61,808 
			  Greater Manchester Police (The) 88,848 
			  Harrop Associates Ltd. 136,913 
			  HB International 175,484 
			  Highfield Co. UK Ltd. 65,281 
			  Leeds College of Building 5,310 
			  National Industrial Fuel Efficiency Services Ltd. 32,016 
			  NETA Training Trust 22,208 
			  Newcastle College 1,062,056 
			  Office For Public Management Ltd. 393,063 
			  Passe-Partout Consulting Ltd. 192,893 
			  St. John Ambulance 52,126 
			  TDP Development Ltd. 542,660 
			  Training and Safety Services Ltd. 3,576 
			  TSO Consulting 48,511 
			  Woodland Grange 36,615 
			  Industrial Training and Consultancy 16,149 
			  Abbeydale Training Ltd. 19,665 
			  RTW Training Services 32,059 
			  Hardaker Associates Ltd. 4,641 
			  Grey Cell Training Ltd. 6,539 
			  METIS Psychological Services 14,707 
			  Rangecroft Communication Ltd. 3,550 
			  Bray Leino Ltd. 19,508 
			  Roffey Park Institute 44,358 
			  Industrial Training Services Ltd. 4,653 
			  The Faraday Centre Ltd. 4,688 
			  Todo Mundo Ltd. 3,267 
			  The Training Consultants Ltd. 123,825 
			  Paul Roscorla Associates Ltd. 11,701 
			  The Development Partnership 411 
			  Grand total 3,731,555 
			
			 2008-09 Blackburn College 3,129 
			  Bond Solon Training Ltd. 13,322 
			  Cannock Chase Technical College 18,930 
			  National School of Government 123,670 
			  South West Peninsular Training 3,254 
			  Creative Forum Ltd. 26,951 
			  Empower Training Services Ltd. 19,534 
			  Forum UK Training and Human Resource Development Services Ltd. 38,011 
			  Greater Manchester Police(The) 63,740 
			  Harrop Associates Ltd. 173,037 
			  HB International 131,472 
			  Highfield Co. UK Ltd. 46,951 
			  Leeds College of Building 8,904 
			  NETA Training Trust 13,681 
			  Newcastle College 768,063 
			  Office For Public Management Ltd. 263,178 
			  Passe-Partout Consulting Ltd. 197,381 
			  St. John Ambulance 31,043 
			  TDP Development Ltd. 182,350 
			  Training and Safety Services Ltd. 3,322 
			  TSO Consulting 26,621 
			  Woodland Grange 54,721 
			  Industrial Training and Consultancy 12,080 
			  Abbeydale Training Ltd. 19,807 
			  RTW Training Services 18,833 
			  Hardaker Associates Ltd. 37,798 
			  Grey Cell Training Ltd. 3,895 
			  METIS Psychological Services 20,508 
			  Rangecroft Communication Ltd. 2,071 
			  Roffey Park Institute 5,806 
			  Industrial Training Services Ltd. 13,771 
			  The Training Consultants Ltd. 26,289 
			  Paul Roscorla Associates Ltd. 8,970 
			  Magnetic North Education and Training Ltd. 86,624 
			  NICEIC Group Ltd. 51,406 
			  Eliesha 18,069 
			  SKAI Ltd. 3,306 
			  Grand total 2,540,499

Prisons

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress his Department has made towards its objective of increasing the prison capacity in England and Wales to 86,000 by September 2009.

David Hanson: We estimate that prison capacity in England and Wales will reach 86,000 places around November 2009.
	We are expanding prison capacity by 20,000 places and aim to achieve an overall net capacity of just over 96,000 by 2014.

Reoffenders

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders placed on the end of custody licence scheme have been recalled to custody since the scheme's inception; and how many of the alleged further offences committed were  (a) robbery,  (b) burglary,  (c) theft and handling,  (d) fraud and forgery,  (e) drug offences,  (f) rape,  (g) attempted rape and  (h) other sexual offences.

Jack Straw: 47,515 offenders have been placed on the end of custody licence scheme (ECL), of whom 1,594 (approximately 3 per cent.) have been recalled to custody from the start of the scheme on 29 June 2007 to 31 December 2008.
	Independent of the number of recalls is the number of offenders notified to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) as having allegedly re-offended during their period of ECL. NOMS may be notified of an alleged further offence for which it is not possible to recall the offender to custody because, for example, the ECL period has expired by the time the offender is charged with the offence.
	Between 29 June 2007 and 31 December 2008, 712 offenders were notified to NOMS as alleged to have committed a total of 959 further offences while on the scheme. The following table shows the types of offences allegedly committed in the categories requested.
	
		
			  Alleged offence  Number of alleged offences 
			 Robbery 39 
			 Burglary 77 
			 Theft and Handling 289 
			 Fraud and Forgery 9 
			 Drug Offences 25 
			 Rape(1) 2 
			 Attempted Rape 0 
			 Other Sexual Offences(1) 5 
			 (1) Of the seven alleged sexual offences listed in the table, one has resulted in a conviction; the remaining six cases have either been discontinued prior to trial or resulted in acquittal.

Special Educational Needs: Tribunals

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal were made by a local authority children's services department on behalf of a looked-after child in 2007-08.

Bridget Prentice: The First-Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability), known as Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) prior to 3 November 2008, does not retain any statistical information on how many appeals are made by Local Authority Children's Services Departments on behalf of looked-after children. This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The tribunal keeps data on the total number of appeals, the type of appeal, the category of the special educational need, the outcome of the appeal and the length of time to reach a decision.
	In 2007-08, SENDIST received a total of 3,396 appeals.

Television: Licensing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people per 10,000 of the population in each region of the UK were prosecuted for non-payment of television licence fees in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of persons per 10,000 of the population proceeded against for television licence evasion in England and Wales from 2005 to 2007 (latest available), broken down by region is in the following table. Information data held by the Ministry of Justice only cover England and Wales.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of persons per 10,000 of the population proceeded against for television licence evasion in England and Wales, 2005 to 2007, broken down by region( 1, 2) 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			  Region  Proceeded against  Proceedings per 10,000 of the population  Proceeded against  Proceedings per 10,000 of the population  Proceeded against  Proceedings per 10,000 of the population 
			 East of England 5,040 9 9,642 17 9,152 16 
			 East Midlands 8,904 21 9,221 21 10,537 24 
			 London 23,508 32 19,219 26 22,780 30 
			 North East 5,820 23 9,407 37 8,455 33 
			 North West 28,159 41 27,148 40 26,662 39 
			 South East 8,707 11 8,802 11 9,786 12 
			 South West 7,095 14 7,615 15 8,137 16 
			 Wales 8,576 29 10,460 35 10,073 34 
			 West Midlands 12,041 23 14,233 27 15,154 28 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 15,073 30 14,272 28 14,871 29 
			 England and Wales 122,923 23 130,019 24 135,607 25 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Valuation Office: Land Registry

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 7 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 153W, on Land Registry Direct, what property data the Land Registry Direct Service provides to the Valuation Office Agency.

Michael Wills: The Valuation Office Agency will be able to obtain the same information as any other users of Land Registry's services, whether they are in the public or private sector. As users of Land Registry Direct the Valuation Office Agency will have access to our register. The Land Register has been available for public inspection since December 1990 and Official Copies of registers, title plans and deeds and most documents referred to on the register can be obtained by post or electronically. The information included on a register is:
	title number of property or land
	the tenure (freehold or leasehold)
	the price paid (where available)
	the name of the registered proprietor(s)
	lease details (deed date, term, rent)
	property address, including town name
	property description (detached, flat etc)
	local authority name.
	There are over 22 million titles registered with Land Registry covering England and Wales.

Valuation Office: Land Registry

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1317W, on the Valuation Office: Land Registry, how much the Valuation Office Agency paid the Land Registry for access to the Land Registry Direct Service in the latest year for which figures are available.

Michael Wills: There is no charge to access Land Registry Direct. All registered users, whether public or private sector, hold a credit account and only pay for particulars that they download.

HEALTH

Asthma

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) children and  (b) adults were admitted to hospital due to asthma in the last five years.

Ann Keen: The Department uses information from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for data of this kind. HES is the national statistical data warehouse for England of the care provided by national health service hospitals and for NHS hospital patients treated elsewhere. The data are freely available from:
	www.hesonline.nhs.uk
	For hospital admissions for asthma the HES data are not broken down by age, but they are broken down into age categories of 0-14 years old and 15 plus years old for finished episodes of asthma. Note that a patient may have more than one episode for each hospital admission, which explains why episode data exceed admission data in the following table. Data are currently only available for the five years previous to 2006-07, collected from April to April:
	
		
			   Admissions  Episodes (ages 0-14)  Episodes (ages 15 plus) 
			 2006-07 62,656 26,448 51,656 
			 2005-06 59,072 22,542 51,698 
			 2004-05 63,422 25,570 53,023 
			 2003-04 56,698 22,125 47,992 
			 2002-03 51,601 21,840 40,414

Breast Cancer: Screening

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the  (a) current and  (b) planned capacity in each of the next five years is for the number of breast screenings in each primary care trust; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken in preparation for the planned extension of breast screening; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Information on current and planned capacity for breast screening in each primary care trust (PCT) is not collected centrally. It is for PCTs, in partnership with strategic health authorities, local services and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations. PCTs are required to provide breast screening services for their eligible populations. They are responsible for ensuring that breast screening services are delivered to national standards.
	The NHS Breast Screening Programme is a huge success, saving an estimated 1,400 lives each year. It is now screening more women and detecting more cancers than ever before. In 2007-08, 1.71 million women were screened and 14,110 cancers were detected.
	We are extending routine breast screening to women between the ages of 47 and 73 years, with a guarantee that women will have their first screening before the age of 50. As a result, over 400,000 more women will be screened each year. This extension is being managed by NHS Cancer Screening Programmes in partnership with local health services and will be piloted in six sites from January 2009. The pilots will meet strict quality and performance criteria and will act as a learning platform to enable remaining services to model their rollout plans. Full implementation of the breast screening extension across England is due by the end of 2012.

Cancer

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government plans to spend to modernise health service equipment for cancer treatments over the next three years; and what types of equipment are planned to be replaced.

Ann Keen: As part of the Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS), 250 million capital funding has been made available over the next three years (2008-09 to 2010-11) to improve and modernise cancer equipment. This funding will be included in the total capital funding available to the national health service under the NHS capital planning process. Equipment which has reached the end of its useful life should be replaced under local capital investment strategies.
	It will be for local determination to decide the level of funding required to meet the needs of their patients and to ensure local cancer services are delivered and equipment is maintained and replaced in accordance with commitments, standards and recommendations made in the CRS and other relevant guidance provided by professional bodies.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in his Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has expended the sum of 13,352.62 on works and refurbishment to Ministers' offices within the last 12 month period.
	The expenditure is broken down into:
	
		
			
			 Repairs to roof which caused water damage to Secretary of State's room 9,419.02 
			 Redecoration following flood damage as above 3,936.60

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the initial estimated  (a) cost and  (b) delivery date was of each ICT project initiated by his Department in each year since 1997; what the (i) outturn cost and (ii) completion date was of each such project subsequently completed; which contractors were hired for each project; and how much has been paid to each contractor in respect of each project to date.

Ben Bradshaw: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what scheduled capital expenditure in the NHS his Department is planning to delay.

Dawn Primarolo: There are no plans by the Department to delay any existing capital programmes or individual schemes.

General Dental Council

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the new General Dental Council to be in place.

Ann Keen: The General Dental Council (GDC) is working closely with the Department to deliver the new GDC in advance of the expiry of the terms of office of the current council, on 9 October 2009.

Health Professions

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) qualified nursing,  (b) midwifery and  (c) health visiting staff were (i) male and (ii) female in each year from 2006.

Ann Keen: The following table gives a breakdown by gender for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff from 2006.
	
		
			 Registered midwife  Health visitor  Nurse 
			  At 30 September each year  Total  Unknown gender  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 2006 374,538 21,354 176 22,937 176 11,507 37,890 280,498 
			  
			 2007 376,737 35,978 113 23,415 139 11,140 36,787 269,165

Hospitals: Retail Trade

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many complaints his Department has received on prices charged in retail outlets within NHS hospitals in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had on his Department's policy on lease of retail spaces in hospitals; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many NHS hospitals receive  (a) a percentage of retail outlet revenue and  (b) a flat fee when leasing space within their buildings to retailers.

Dawn Primarolo: Under income generation powers hospitals are able to establish and operate retail outlets that complement and extend the range of services and facilities for patients and visitors, as well as providing additional income that is re-invested directly back into local healthcare services.
	The specifics of any contract and the operation of the outlets are a matter for local national health service management. The Department does not hold any records of these contracts.
	There have not been any recent ministerial discussions regarding policy on the leasing of retail space in hospitals.
	Income generation guidance advises that prices must conform to Fair Trading, Enterprise and Competition legislation. The Department's records of correspondence show no instances of complaints relating to prices charged in NHS retail outlets in the last 12 months.

Medical Records

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards ensuring that GP care record systems will be compatible with the Summary Care Record.

Ben Bradshaw: Three general practitioner (GP) care systems have successfully demonstrated compatibility and have been used in the creation of patient summary care records in the early adopter primary care trusts. It is anticipated that a fourth supplier will have achieved compatibility by April 2009. These four suppliers represent 95 per cent. of all GP care systems in use throughout England. Other suppliers are making progress towards compatibility, but no firm timelines exist for their systems to achieve compatibility at this stage.

Medical Records

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of patients in each  (a) acute trust,  (b) primary care trust,  (c) mental health trust and  (d) GP practice have had their care records uploaded;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of  (a) acute trusts,  (b) primary care trusts,  (c) mental health trusts and  (d) GP practices in each region have deployed summary care records; and what the timetable for their full deployment is.

Ben Bradshaw: A summary care record (SCR) early adopter programme has been established in a small number of primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure lessons were learned prior to national implementation of the SCR. The number of patient records created and the number of general practitioner (GP) practices that have created summary care records, as at 27 January 2009, are in the following table.
	In accordance with the NHS operating framework 2009-10, strategic health authorities will agree the timeline for implementing the SCR with PCTs as commissioners, and have been asked to plan for roll-out of the SCR based on a two-year window for the full deployment of SCR from the date on which all GP systems used in the PCT area are compliant with national programme for information technology systems and services.
	
		
			  PCT  General practices live with SCR  Number of SCRs created 
			 Bolton 13 91,146 
			 Bury 17 100,183 
			 South Birmingham 3 21,001 
			 Bradford 1 19,173 
		
	
	Other NHS organisations and services able to access the summary care record:
	Royal Bolton Hospital, Accident and Emergency Service;
	Bolton Out of Hours Service;
	Bolton Walk in Centre, Lever Chambers Centre;
	Bury Out of Hours Service;
	Bury and Rochdale Doctors on Call BARDOC;
	Fairfield General Hospital Bury, Accident and Emergency Department; and
	Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, Mental Health Services.

Medical Treatments: EU Law

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information his Department has on progress made recently in implementing the Medicines Directive in  (a) Jersey and  (b) Guernsey;
	(2)  when he expects the Medicines (Human and Veterinary) (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2008 to come into force in Guernsey.

Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has a meeting with the government of Jersey on 11 February 2009 to begin discussions on the implementation of the Medicines Directive 2001/83/EC. Guernsey's Medicines Law received Royal Assent on 10 December 2008 and now requires an ordinance by the states of Guernsey to bring it in to force. This is expected in spring 2009. The MHRA continues to assist the government of Guernsey in the development of the additional legislation required for implementation of the Medicines Directive.

Midwives: Insurance

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects on independent midwifery of the implementation of Article 5 of the draft European Directive on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare, with specific reference to the provisions on professional liability insurance.

Dawn Primarolo: The draft directive on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare is currently subject to negotiations as part of the European co-decision process.
	The Government have already signalled their intention that independent midwives should have professional indemnity cover and are committed to supporting them to do so.

MRSA

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of MRSA infections in hospitals.

Ann Keen: The Department's strategy for reducing health care associated infections (HCAIs), including methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in the national health service (NHS) is set out in 'Clean, safe care', which has already been placed in the Library.
	Infection control is one of the five top priorities in the NHS Operating Framework for 2008-09 and MRSA and  Clostridium difficile targets to 2010-11 have been set under the Better Care for All Public Service Agreement. Clean, safe care outlines the comprehensive range of measures being employed, backed by 270 million additional investment per year by 2010-11 to tackle HCAIs and improve cleanliness.
	Steps include screening all relevant elective admissions to hospitals for MRSA from April 2009, and all emergency admissions by 2010-11; a technology programme designed to accelerate the development and uptake of new technologies to improve infection control; the development of a new national standard for cleanliness in the NHS and a new national minimum standard for MRSA. The Department has re-launched its nationwide antibiotic awareness campaign, and will be launching a HCAI patient awareness campaign in the summer.
	These measures should support the NHS to meet their legal requirements on infection control, as set out in the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, which has already been placed in the Library. All acute NHS trusts are inspected annually against the code of practice by the Healthcare Commission. From April 2009, the new Care Quality Commission will assess compliance against the code of practice and will have a broader range of powers to ensure high performance in infection control.

NHS: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in his Department have been employed  (a) on the Connecting for Health project and  (b) in roles relating to press and public relations work on the project in each year since it was announced.

Ben Bradshaw: Available information is in the following table. For 2003-05 it relates to the national programme for information technology (NPfIT) only. On 1 April 2005 the Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency came into being. NHS Connecting for Health is responsible for delivering NPfIT, and maintaining the critical business systems previously provided to the national health service by the former NHS Information Authority.
	
		
			   Total  Media team( 1) 
			   Employees  Other  Employees  Other 
			 July 2003 80 130 n/a n/a 
			 July 2004 250 214 n/a n/a 
			 February 2005 349 301 2 0 
			 February 2006 994 460 3 0 
			 February 2007 1,119.7 566.8 4 0 
			 February 2008 933.6 392 5 6 
			 January 2009 1,098 367.9 4 1 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Staff roles allocated on a 'best fit' basis with press and public relations duties.  Notes: 1. Figures are for full-time equivalent staff. 'Other' includes contract and temporary staff, and secondees. 2. Because of variation in staff numbers to meet workloads over time, figures are quoted for dates for which information is readily available. Figures since February 2005 are quoted as at February for ease of year-on-year comparison.

NHS: Negligence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total premium payable to the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts has been in each financial year since 2000-01; and what estimate he has made of the amount of such premium payments in 2009-10.

Ann Keen: holding answer 27 January 2009
	 The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) collects contributions in the third quarter of the current financial year to cover the estimated costs to be incurred by the clinical negligence scheme for trusts in the following financial year. The information requested is in the following table and was provided by the NHSLA.
	
		
			  Financial year  Premium collected ( million) 
			 2000-01 49.7 
			 2001-02 41.2 
			 2002-03 221.2 
			 2003-04 247.9 
			 2004-05 406.8 
			 2005-06 468.3 
			 2006-07 457.6 
			 2007-08 447.3 
			 2008-09 396.3 
		
	
	The premium to be collected for 2009-10 is 713.4 million. This is substantially higher than the previous year due to delayed settlement of over 100 high-value cases until a Court of Appeal ruling was made in the Thompstone et al(1) indexation cases, as well as other factors such as rising legal costs. We would expect this figure to fall back in 2010-11.
	(1) (2008) 1 WLR 2207, (2008) EWCA Civ 5, (2008) 2 All ER 553

Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cars are  (a) owned,  (b) leased,  (c) hired and  (d) otherwise regularly used by his Department, broken down by cubic capacity of engine.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 10W. Additionally:
	The Department does not own any vehicles.
	Two private lease vehicles are used by departmental staff under an arrangement operated by HM Revenue and Customs. Capacity details for these vehicles is not available.
	The Department has an arrangement with Arval PHH for hire of vehicles. The contract specifies that no vehicle with an engine capacity greater than 1600 cc should be provided.
	The Department has a contract with Addison Lee for the provision of taxis. Typically, vehicles supplied are 1.9 litre diesel.
	The Department also has an arrangement with Government Car and Despatch Agency, part of Department of Transport. They provide Toyota Prius vehicles as part of their 'Green Cars' Scheme.

Orthopaedics

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the timetable is for the application to orthopaedic hospitals of amendments to the HRG4 national tariff;
	(2)  whether he plans to provide transitional relief to specialist orthopaedic trusts whose income is adversely affected by changes to the national tariff HRG4;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the finances of each specialist orthopaedic hospital of  (a) changes to the HRG4 national tariff and  (b) adjustments to the market forces factor.

Ben Bradshaw: From 1 April 2009 the national tariff which is used by all providers of NHS services will be based, in part, on the clinical grouping methodology HRG4.
	Interim impact analysis, using historical activity data, has been undertaken centrally at several stages of tariff calculation. This has included the impact associated with the new market forces factor (MFF). A more accurate analysis can be carried out locally using locally available data, when the final tariff has been published.
	Once the new tariff is in use strategic health authorities, involving primary care trusts where appropriate, will have discretion to manage both the transition towards the full impact of the revised MFF and the financial impact of the move to tariffs based on HRG4.

Prescriptions: ICT

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the development of the electronic prescription service.

Ben Bradshaw: Deployment of release 1 of the electronic prescription service (EPS) commenced in February 2005 when the software was delivered and is now largely complete. Currently, 86 per cent. of all general practitioner practice sites and 87 per cent. of pharmacies are technically enabled. On average, EPS is being used for around 30 per cent. of prescribed daily prescription messages.
	The software for release 2 was delivered in August 2006 and final compliance preparations are under way by general practitioner and pharmacy information technology suppliers for the implementation of release 2. 17 initial implementer primary care trusts have been specified in Secretary of State Directions as those that may authorise the use of the EPS by their prescribers. Subject to the conclusion of ongoing compliance testing, deployment to an initial implementation site is expected to start shortly.
	NHS Connecting for Health has engaged with clinicians and patient groups to help inform the development of communication and guidance materials that will support the initial implementation of release 2.

Stroke: East Midlands

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what strategy he is pursuing to ensure that the maximum number of patients in the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust area have access to a computed axial topography scan within 24 hours of their stroke-related condition being diagnosed; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The new stroke strategy for England launched in December 2007, sets out the changes needed in the emergency management of strokes, and national support is available to drive improvements to acute care for both transient ischaemic attack (minor stroke) and stroke. All hospitals now provide computed tomography scanning and by far the majority also provide magnetic resonance imaging and carotid doppler.
	We have made stroke a top priority for the national health service and this has been recognised in the recently issued NHS Operating Framework for 2009-10, where implementing the stroke strategy remains a Tier 1 Vital Sign: that is a 'must do' for the NHS.

Thalidomide Trust: Finance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial assistance his Department has provided to the Thalidomide Trust since May 1997.

Ann Keen: The Department has not provided financial support to the Thalidomide Trust. Responsibility for providing compensation to victims rests with Messrs. Distillers, now part of Diageo plc, the company that marketed the drug in the United Kingdom. A private compensation settlement was agreed with Distillers in 1973, and Diageo continues to make annual payments to the Thalidomide Trust, the charitable trust established to administer payments to victims.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he has taken to inform parents of changes to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal system; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	On 3 November 2008, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) became part of the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and DisabilitySEND). It sits within the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber.
	In preparation for the move into the new tribunals structure there has been a two-part consultation process on the changes for those jurisdictions, including SENDIST: Transforming Tribunals discussed the proposals for a new tribunals structure and ran from 28 November 2007 to 22 February 2008; and, the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber Rules were consulted upon from 29 May until 11 July 2008.
	Information on draft practice directions was available on the SENDIST website in July 2008, and the draft practice directions themselves were also sent out to a wide range of service user groups, including parents, parent representative groups and local education authorities, in early October.
	Two newsletters were also issued to the service user groups, the first in July and the second in October 2008. Both contained detailed information on changes to processes and the latter addressed specific issues of concern raised by users.
	There has also been a service user group made up of representatives from a range of voluntary groups and local education authorities working with the judiciary to ensure the rules, practice direction and case management system were fit for purpose.
	Since November 2008, SEND judiciary and members of the user service group have provided free training on the rules, practice directions and case management system for 840 user and user representatives; a further 130 are booked for training in February 2009.
	In addition, application forms for appeals and claims under the new system are available on the SEND website together with guidance on how to appeal and other relevant information. A clear link has been added to the site's front page to direct users to this information. Further briefing notes on particular issues, for example, the assessment of children under rule 15 (4) (provision to have a child assessed), have been produced and issued to users.
	The tribunal has also provided a final list of appeal numbers for cases that will be dealt with under the SENDIST regulation, and how onward appeals from the First-Tier Tribunal's decisions will be dealt with under the new rules.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal: Children in Care

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many cases of looked-after children were considered by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal system in the last year for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The First-Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability), known as Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) prior to 3 November 2008, does not retain any statistical information on how many appeals relate to looked-after children. This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The tribunal keeps data on the total number of appeals, the type of appeal, the category of the special educational need, the outcome of the appeal and the length of time to reach a decision.
	In 2007-08, SENDIST received a total of 3,396 appeals.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants in his Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for breaches of the Civil Service Code in each of the last three years.

Tom Watson: The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of all civil servants and forms part of the Civil Service Management Code and other conduct rules.
	Between 2006-08 16 Cabinet Office employees have either been disciplined or dismissed.

Departmental NDPBs

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what the  (a) highest,  (b) lowest and  (c) average pro-rata compensation of board members of non-departmental public bodies associated with the Cabinet Office was in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the  (a) highest,  (b) lowest and  (c) average salary of board members of non-departmental public bodies associated with the Cabinet Office was in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: Information on 2005-06 and 2006-07 is published in the Cabinet Office Public Appointments Plans for 2006 and 2007, available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/public_bodies.aspx
	Copies are also available in the Libraries of the House.
	Details of remuneration before 2005-06 are not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on 2007-08 will be published in due course.

Government Departments: Information Officers

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants in Government departments and agencies have a title of head of messaging according to records held by  (a) Government Communications and  (b) the Central Office of Information.

Tom Watson: Government Communication does not hold information on job titles of civil servants. COI do not have any record of civil servants bearing this job title.

Members Interests

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of the model declaration letter provided for Ministers to declare their interests.

Liam Byrne: A list of Ministers' interests will be published shortly. It will include details of the categories of information required to be provided.

Public Service Forum

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  who the members of the Public Service Forum are;
	(2)  on what dates the Public Service Forum has met; and what the criteria for determining its membership are.

Tom Watson: The Public Services Forum (PSF) was formed in 2003 to improve dialogue between Government, public service employers and trade unions. It has met three times a year until 2008 when this was increased to four times a year.
	There is no fixed 'membership' of the PSF; the ministerial chair invites employers and trade union representatives in roughly equal numbers to engage in dialogue with the Government on public service work force issues. Representatives are sent from the CBI, Business Services Association, Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations and the National Council of Voluntary Organisations are also invited to attend some meetings.

Public Services Forum Task Group

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 870W, on Warwick Task Force Group contact, what the names are of the members of the Public Services Forum Task Group; and if he will place in the Library copies of the minutes of Group meetings held in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: The Public Services Forum Task Group was chaired by an official nominated by the Cabinet Office and attended by a further three civil servants from relevant Departments, four representatives from the CBI, private and third sector umbrella organisations and four Trades Union Congress representatives.
	The group developed the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice in Government Contracting, which came into effect on 15 July 2008. A copy of the Joint Statement has been placed in the Library of the House.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1185W, on trade unions, whether recognised trades' unions are allocated departmental office space in which to conduct trades' union work;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester of 27 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1619W, on trades' unions, what the Cabinet Office policy is on granting  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid time off for trades' union representatives to undertake (i) trades' union duties and (ii) political campaigning.

Tom Watson: Cabinet Office has a partnership agreement with our Departmental Trade Union SidePublic and Commercial Services Union, First Division Association and Prospect. The agreement provides the trade unions' representatives with appropriate resources, including office working space, in order to fulfil their responsibilities.
	Cabinet Office trade unions' representatives can apply to their managers for special leave to fulfil their responsibilities.

Unemployment

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of working age households in each parliamentary constituency in which no-one was in work in each month of the last two years.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the number and proportion of working age households in each parliamentary constituency in which no-one was in work in each month of the last two years. (252909)
	The available information is provided in the table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Monthly estimates are not available and the information requested has been answered using annual estimates derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household dataset for the years 2006 and 2007. Estimates for 2008 will not be available until summer 2009.
	Figures for households are based on working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least: one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.
	It is vital to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. Estimates that are deemed unreliable for practical purposes are presented in italics. These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are subject to large variability. Estimates that are reliable are presented in bold.

Unemployment

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what percentage of children in each parliamentary constituency lived in  (a) households claiming out-of-work benefits and  (b) workless households in each month of the last two years.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated January 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many and what percentage of children in each parliamentary constituency lived in (a) households claiming out-of-work benefits and (b) workless households in each month of the last two years. (252914)
	The available information for part (b) is provided in the table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Monthly estimates are not available and the information requested has been answered using annual estimates derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household dataset for the years 2006 and 2007. Estimates for 2008 will not be available until summer 2009.
	Figures for children in households are based on children aged under 16 years old living in working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.
	It is vital to note that as with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. Estimates that are deemed unreliable for practical purposes are presented in italics. These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are subject to large variability. Estimates that are reliable are presented in bold.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has provided the answer to (a) on how many and what percentage of children lived in families claiming out-of-work benefits in each year since 2004, broken down by parliamentary constituency (226158), and I refer you to the answer given on 27 October 2008, Official Report, column 702W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Cemeteries: Complaints

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints the Local Government Ombudsman has received relating to the administration of cemeteries in the last 24 months; and how many were upheld in whole or in part.

John Healey: During the two-year period January 2007 to December 2008, the Local Government Ombudsman received 73 complaints related to cemeteries and crematoria. Of these, five were outside their jurisdiction and 21 were premature and so were referred back to the council. Of the 47 cases that were investigated, six are still waiting a decision. Of the 41 cases determined, there were no formal findings of maladministration, although local settlements were reached in six cases, which can be regarded as an acceptance of fault by the Council.

Community Centres: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 18 March 2008,  Official Report, column 962W, on community centres: valuation, how many properties there were under the category of hall and premises on the 1995 Rating Lists for England in each Government Office region in 1998 or in the most recent period for which figures are available.

John Healey: As at 1 April 1998, there were 15,851 properties described as hall and premises in the 1995 Rating Lists for England.
	
		
			  Government region  Number of hall and premises as at 1 April 1998 
			 East Midlands 1,724 
			 East of England 2,575 
			 London 1017 
			 North East 550 
			 North West 1,159 
			 South East 3,002 
			 South West 3,148 
			 West Midlands 1,453 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,223 
			   
			 Total 15,851

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the speech made by the Minister for Local Government to the Local Government Association on 2 July 2008, what the timetable for the review of the enforcement of council tax is; what the terms of reference of the review are; and what plans she has to introduce proposals to amend legislation in this regard.

John Healey: I announced on 2 July 2008 that I am working with the Ministry of Justice to look at new ways to collect and enforce council tax, in particular by allowing councils to transfer council tax debts from magistrates to county courts. Any necessary legislation will be introduced as parliamentary time allows.
	Annex D of the Council Tax Collection Good Practice Report of 2004, summarises good collection practice for council tax. The report is published on Communities and Local Government website at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/goodprac.pdf

Council Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of new homes built in each year since 1990 have been in each council tax band.

John Healey: The following table sets out the percentage of new homes in each council tax band by the year they first appeared in a council tax valuation list in England. As valuation lists were not compiled until 1 April 1993, no figures are available before that date.
	
		
			   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H 
			 1993-94 19.9 20.6 22.0 15.6 11.2 5.9 4.1 0.7 
			 1994-95 19.0 19.2 20.6 16.6 12.0 6.9 5.0 0.7 
			 1995-96 17.7 17.4 20.2 16.7 13.3 7.9 5.9 0.9 
			 1996-97 16.5 16.0 19.9: 17.0 14.4 8.5 6.7 1.0 
			 1997-98 14.7 14.3 19.0; 17.6 15.7 10.0 7.7 1.2 
			 1998-99 14.3 13.3 18.1 18.6 16.6 10^2 7.6 1.3 
			 1999-2000 12.7 13.0 18.2 19.0 17.2 10.8 7.7 1.3 
			 2000-01 12.4 i3.0 17.6 19.5 17.9 10.7 7.8 1.2 
			 2001-02 12.4 13.8 18.4 19.1 17.7 10.1 7.5 1.1 
			 2002-03 12.2 14.3 19.8 20.0 16.1 10.1 6.5 1.0 
			 2003-04 12.8 15.6 21.2 20.1 14.9 8.6 5.9 0.9 
			 2004-05 13.7 17.4; 22.8 20.3 13.2 7.3 4.6 0.8' 
			 2005-06 15.5 19.9 24.0 18.3 11.3 6.1 4.1 0.8 
			 2006-07 16.8 21.7 24.2: 17.4 10.1 5.6 3.5 0.7 
			 2007-08 18.3 22.9 24.0 17.0 9.4 4.8 3.0 0.6 
			 2008-09 20.2 23.8 23.1 16.4 8.5 4.4 2.8 0.8

Council Tax: Disclosure of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has for the electronic sharing of council tax information across public sector bodies.

John Healey: The administration of council tax is a matter for local authorities, the Valuation Office Agency, the courts and the Valuation Tribunal Service. My Department currently has no plans to seek changes to the legislative framework within which they operate so far as the electronic sharing of council tax information is concerned.

Council Tax: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, column 575W, on council tax: empty property, if she will place in the Library a copy of the final report by Roger Tym and Partners.

John Healey: I have today placed in the House Library a copy of the report, Application of Discretionary Council Tax Powers for Empty Homes, by Roger Tym Partners in Association with Three Dragons. The report is also available on Communities and Local Government's website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/counciltaxemptyhomes

Council Tax: Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements are in place to compensate local authorities which report a reduction in their council tax base because of an increase in numbers of empty residential properties.

John Healey: The distribution of Formula Grant takes into account the relative needs and relative resources of each authority, relative to all other authorities providing the same services. There is also a central allocation and the floor damping mechanism.
	The relative resources component reflects the authority's potential to raise income through council tax. For multi-year settlements, this is measured by projections of the council tax base.
	The council tax base is the number of Band D equivalent properties. The number of dwellings in each band is calculated by taking the number of dwellings on the valuation list and adjusting for various exemptions and discounts.
	For the 2008-09 to 2010-11 settlement, the projections of the tax base were calculated using the tax base as at 8 October 2007 and then applying the average annual increase between October 2005 and October 2007.
	The number of dwellings that receive a discount because they are classed as long-term empty dwellings is taken into account in the calculation of the tax base.

Council Tax: Floods

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report , column 484 W, on council tax: floods, which local authorities have exercised their powers to grant council tax discounts to owners of uninhabitable properties.

John Healey: Pursuant to my answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report , column 481W,on council tax: floods, I am aware that the following local authorities have exercised their power under Section 13 A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to grant discounts to owners of properties which were still uninhabitable due to the June and July 2007 floods after the 12-month exemption period, under Class A, has lapsed.
	Bassetlaw District Council
	Cheltenham Borough Council
	Cotswold District Council
	Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
	East Riding of Yorkshire Council
	Forest of Dean District Council
	Gloucester City Council
	Herefordshire Council
	Kingston upon Hull City Council
	Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
	Malvern Hills District Council
	Newark and Sherwood District Council
	North Lincolnshire Council
	North Wiltshire District Council
	Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
	Stratford-upon-Avon District Council
	Swindon Borough Council
	Tewkesbury Borough Council
	Vale of White Horse District Council
	City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
	West Berkshire Council
	West Oxfordshire District Council
	Wokingham Borough Council
	Wychavon District council
	Wyre Forest District Council
	Some other local authorities affected by the floods may have exercised their power to grant discretionary discounts; the Department does not have information about them.

Council Tax: Pensions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to right hon. Friend the Member for Tonbridge and Malling of 18 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 1045-6W, on council tax: pensions, what the  (a) monetary value and  (b) proportion was of local authority revenue expenditure that comprised employer's contributions to pension funds and other retirement benefits in each year since 1996-97.

John Healey: Information on employers' contributions to pension funds and other retirement benefits for local authorities in England for 2007-08 can be obtained from the Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing England 2007-08 Final Outturn statistical release published on CLG's website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.Uk/finance/stats/natstats.htm#rev
	Data for earlier years, where available, can be obtained from annual editions of Local Government Financial Statistics England.

Council Tax: Students

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements are in place for her Department to review  (a) provision for student discounts on council tax and  (b) the manner in which local authorities with student populations are compensated in respect of the discount.

John Healey: Communities and Local Government keeps the legislative framework governing council tax under continual review, including the provisions for student discount disregards and exemptions.
	The distribution of Formula Grant takes into account the relative needs and relative resources of each authority, relative to all other authorities providing the same services. There is also a central allocation and the floor damping mechanism.
	The relative resources component reflects the authority's potential to raise income through council tax. For multi-year settlements, this is measured by projections of the council tax base.
	The council tax base is the number of Band D equivalent properties. The number of dwellings in each band is calculated by taking the number of dwellings on the valuation list and adjusting for various exemptions and discounts.
	For the 2008-09 to 2010-11 settlement, the projections of the tax base were calculated using the tax base as at the 8 October 2007 and then applying the average annual increase between October 2005 and October 2007.
	The projections of council tax base used in the calculation of the 2008-09 to 2010-11 settlements also reflect an adjustment for student exemptions. This adjustment uses the average of student council tax exemption numbers from counts as at 31 May 2007 and 8 October 2007, rather than using a count solely as at 8 October 2007.
	We are continuing to discuss with local government how to best reflect student exemptions in these projections for the next three-year settlement.

Council Tax: Tax Allowances

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 13 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 1441-2W, on council tax: tax allowances, what types of local council tax discount were awarded in 2008; and which authorities were awarding each type of discount as at 8 October 2007.

John Healey: Details of the types of local council tax discount that were being awarded by billing authorities under the Local Government Act 2003 as at 8 October 2008, the latest date for which figures are available, are listed as follows. Authorities reported they were making local council tax discounts to either individuals or a particular class of taxpayer. The discounts shown may have been awarded by one or more authority.
	 Particular classes of taxpayer or property:
	Difficult to let properties;
	Occupied and unoccupied furnished properties that do not have the benefit of mains services including beach chalets;
	Pensioners;
	Properties affected by flooding;
	Annexes that are not exempt and are part of the main residence;
	Properties that are no one person's sole or main residence where access is restricted;
	Taxpayers who can comply with the council's Mooring Policy;
	Those to whom, because they have been affected by the change in regulations since a discount was originally awarded, a discount has been awarded so as to not disadvantage them;
	Various classes of empty properties.
	 Other discretionary discounts based on individual cases:
	Hard to sell property;
	Hardship;
	New unfinished property;
	Problems with a chalk mine.
	Details of the types of local council tax discounts awarded as at 8 October 2007, and the authority awarding the discount, are shown as follows.
	 Pensioners
	Bury, Hillingdon, Kirklees, Wirral.
	 Properties affected by flooding
	Carlisle, Chelmsford, Herefordshire UA, North Tyneside, Worcester, Wyre Forest.
	 Various classes of empty properties
	Camden, Herefordshire UA
	 Those to whom, because they have been affected by the change in regulations since a discount was originally awarded, a discount has been awarded so as to not disadvantage them
	Adur, Bracknell Forest, Exeter, North Norfolk, Waveney.
	The following types of local council tax discounts were also awarded as at 8 October 2007.
	A hard to sell property;
	A new unfinished property;
	A property affected by the proximity of an electricity generating wind turbine;
	A property damaged by fire;
	Difficult to let properties;
	Hardship;
	Occupied and unoccupied furnished properties that do not have the benefit of mains services including beach chalets;
	Problems with a chalk mine;
	Properties that are no one person's sole or main residence where access is restricted;
	Single occupiers who are called up for 28 days or more as members of the reserve forces;
	Taxpayers who can comply with the council's Mooring Policy;
	To a member of the RAF where redundancy was delayed owing to events abroad.
	These discounts were awarded by the following authorities. It is not possible to identify which authority awarded which discount as this may allow identification of individual properties or persons.
	Bridgnorth;
	Brighton and Hove;
	Cambridge;
	Canterbury;
	Copeland;
	East Riding of Yorkshire UA;
	Kingston upon Hull;
	Leicester UA;
	Malvern Hills;
	Oswestry;
	Purbeck;
	Restormel;
	Shepway;
	South Holland;
	South Lakeland;
	Tunbridge Wells;
	Welwyn Hatfield.

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 298W, on council tax: valuation, which local authorities provide  (a) commencement notices,  (b) completion notices and  (c) plans to the Valuation Office Agency for council tax valuation purposes.

John Healey: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Air Travel

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) her Department's executive agencies,  (b) the non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department and  (c) the Government Offices for the Regions offset their air travel via the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government's executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and the Government offices for the regions do not offset their air travel via the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund.
	The only air travel emissions offset via the Fund are from the central Department's operations.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much capital expenditure has been brought forward in response to the economic downturn by her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies to  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; from which years such expenditure has been brought forward; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: On 2 September 2008 we announced a 1 billion market rescue package to increase confidence, stability and fairness in the housing market. On 24 November we brought forward additional capital spending as part of the 2008 pre-Budget report fiscal stimulus. Considering together the September housing announcement and the pre-Budget report, we are making 350 million, 1,275 million and 55 million of capital available for expenditure in years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively. In addition, 95 million has been made available for 2009-10 and 2010-11 to support reforms to Support for Mortgage Interest announced in the September 2008 housing package. 25 million of the total 1,775 million package has been brought forward from 2009-10 and 1,750 million from 2010-11.
	This includes the additional flexibility offered by the Government, at the pre-Budget-report, to the regional development agencies to bring forward 100 million of capital expenditure from financial year 2010-11 to 2009-10. Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform are currently working closely with the regional development agencies to take this forward.
	It also includes the flexibility offered by the Government to local authorities in England to bring forward up to 175 million of planned major housing repairs expenditure from 2010-11 to 2009-10. Communities and Local Government will invite local authorities in England to bring forward up to this amount to enable councils to invest in a way which will maximise investment in the housing stock in 2009-10.

Departmental Publicity

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much expenditure her Department incurred under general ledger account number 40001 (advertising) in the last year for which audited figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The Department's finance system records a total expenditure of 511,458.93 under General Ledger Account Number 40001 (advertising) for the financial year 2007-08.

Departmental Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of its nine public service agreement targets from the Comprehensive Spending Review her Department has met.

John Healey: We set out the latest reporting on our SR04 Public Service Agreements in Annex A of our Autumn Performance Report, published on 28 November 2008:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/autumnperformance2008.

Deprivation Indicators

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government further to the answer of 20 November 2008,  Official Report, column 760W, on deprivation indicators, which lower layer super output areas (LSOAs) fell within the 15 per cent. most deprived wards on the Index of Multiple Deprivation in each of the principal seaside towns in England in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2007 for each field of the Index, listed (i) alphabetically by name of the town and (ii) by most to last deprived LSOA.

John Healey: I have placed in the Library of the House a table that lists the Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) in principal seaside towns which fall within the 15 per cent. most deprived on the Index of Multiple Deprivation for 2004 and 2007, for each domain of the index. This table lists all the LSOAs within the bottom 15 per cent. of the indices within local authority districts which are, or include, seaside towns. This table also identifies the ward in which each LSOA is located.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 19 May 2008,  Official Report, column 41 W, on energy performance certificates, how many of the home condition reports were produced with the assistance of funding provided by her Department.

Margaret Beckett: Our records show that 1487 HIPs with HCRs were subsidised as part of the first phase of the Home Information Pack area trials.

European Regional Development Fund

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 315W, on the European Regional Development Fund, what further fines or financial corrections for programme irregularities her Department  (a) is expected to receive and  (b) has budgeted for.

John Healey: The European Commission is considering the imposition of two financial corrections in respect of ERDF programmes that operated in the late 1990s. Details are given in the Communities and Local Government Resource Accounts 2007-08 (HC791) published in July 2008.

European Regional Development Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 316W, on the European Regional Development Fund, for what reason each financial correction has been imposed; and what each of the programme irregularities was, further to the contingent liabilities referred to in her Department's accounts.

John Healey: The financial corrections imposed in 2007-08 related to the Commission's view on information and audit in relation to two English programmes.
	The Commission has not yet notified the Department of its final findings arising from audits of English programmes. Therefore it is not yet known what irregularities, if any, will need to be covered by the contingent liabilities referred to in CLG's accounts.

European Regional Development Fund

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what consultations she had with  (a) local authorities,  (b) regional development agencies and  (c) other stakeholders prior to the decision not to agree to an extension in respect of unspent Objective 1 and 2 European Regional Development Fund monies for England; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she made of the merits of accepting the European Commission's proposed extension to the deadline for disbursement of unused monies from the 2000 to 2006 European Regional Development Fund Objectives 1 and 2 in respect of England; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Government took into account views from the regions, including on the extent to which any additional resources resulting from programme extension could be used given the lack of flexibility in the EC's offer of extension, and decided that there was insufficient benefit to justify changing existing spending plans.

Fleishman-Hillard

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments English Partnerships  (a) has made and  (b) is contracted to make to Fleishman-Hillard; and for what purposes.

Margaret Beckett: English Partnerships made one payment to Fleishman-Hillard of 3,500 plus VAT in June 2008. This was in relation to public affairs work on the Blackwall Reach project, commissioned by English Partnerships' Thames Gateway Team. Fleishman-Hillard were just one of a number of companies on the English Partnerships Public Relations Panel. Members of this panel are selected through a competitive tender process. There are currently no further contractual payments due.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what monitoring her Department undertakes on the number and type of house sales involving home information packs.

Margaret Beckett: The Department does not monitor the sales of residential homes. However, we estimate that over 1.2 million home information packs have been produced since their introduction on 1 August 2007.

Homes and Communities Agency: Eco-Towns

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of its growth budget the Homes and Communities Agency has allocated for expenditure related to eco-towns.

Margaret Beckett: No allocations from the Growth Fund have been made by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) towards eco-towns as responsibility for eco-towns currently rests with Communities and Local Government. After decisions have been taken on which eco-town locations are going forward, we see the HCA being able to take a leadership role in helping to deliver some of the eco-towns and playing a major role in supporting local authorities on delivery.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to announce  (a) the results of the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Review and  (b) the Government response to the Taylor Review; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Review of Council Housing Finance and Rents Policy, which is considering the future of the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy System and related issues, will report to the Chief Secretary and Communities and Local Government Ministers in the spring. The Government expects this will be followed by the issue of a consultation paper later in the year.
	The Government expects to make their formal response to the Taylor Review shortly.

Housing: Low Incomes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 20 November 2008,  Official Report, column 767W, on housing: low incomes, which 134 local authorities provided information via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; and whether authorities were required to provide the information.

John Healey: Information, which was requested rather than required, was provided by the following local authorities:
	Adur
	Arun
	Ashfield
	Barking and Dagenham
	Barnet
	Barnsley
	Barrow-in-Furness
	Basildon
	Bassetlaw
	Blaby
	Blackpool
	Bolsover
	Bracknell Forest
	Braintree
	Brent
	Bristol
	Broxbourne
	Broxtowe
	Bury
	Cambridge
	Cannock Chase
	Caradon
	Carrick
	Cheltenham
	Cherwell
	Chester-le-Street
	City of Derby
	City of York
	Colchester
	Corby
	Crawley
	Dacorum
	Darlington
	Dartford
	Daventry
	Derwentside
	Dover
	Dudley
	Easington
	East Hertfordshire
	East Riding of Yorkshire
	Epping Forest
	Fareham
	Fenland
	Forest Heath
	Gateshead
	Gedling
	Gosport
	Gravesham
	Great Yarmouth
	Greenwich
	Guildford
	Hackney
	Hammersmith and Fulham
	Harlow
	Havering
	Hyndburn
	Ipswich
	Islington
	Kettering
	Kingston upon Hull
	Kirklees
	Lancaster
	Leicester
	Lewes
	Macclesfield
	Manchester
	Mid Devon
	Newark and Sherwood
	Newham
	North Cornwall
	North East Lincolnshire
	North Kesteven
	North Lincolnshire
	North Shropshire
	North Somerset
	North Tyneside
	North West Leicestershire
	Northampton
	Norwich
	Nottingham
	Nuneaton and Bedworth
	Oadby and Wigston
	Pendle
	Plymouth
	Poole
	Preston
	Reading
	Redditch
	Rochford
	Rossendale
	Rotherham
	Rutland
	Salford
	Salisbury
	Sedgefield
	Sedgemoor
	Sefton
	Sheffield
	Shepway
	Solihull
	South Cambridgeshire
	South Gloucestershire
	South Norfolk
	South Northamptonshire
	South Tyneside
	Southend-on-Sea
	Stafford
	Stevenage
	Stoke-on-Trent
	Stroud
	Sutton
	Swindon
	Tendring
	Thanet
	Tower Hamlets
	Wakefield
	Waltham Forest
	Wansbeck
	Warwick
	Watford
	Waveney
	Waverley
	Wealden
	Wellingborough
	Welwyn Hatfield
	West Lancashire
	Westminster
	Wigan
	Winchester
	Wirral
	Woking
	Wokingham
	Wolverhampton

Housing: Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 8 December 2008,  Official Report, column 24WS, on home buying and selling, whether changes were made to the text of the written statement published on her Department's website after its initial publication online.

Margaret Beckett: No changes were made.

Housing: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1322W, on housing: valuation, whether a material change to a domestic dwelling because of a new state of disrepair may result in a change to the potential valuation of a dwelling for business rates  (a) prior to and  (b) during the 2010 revaluation.

John Healey: Domestic dwellings are not liable for business rates. A composite dwelling forms part of a domestic and non-domestic occupation, but the domestic dwelling value apportionment is banded for council tax, while the non-domestic element will appear in a rating list. All domestic dwellings, whether composite or not, are subject to the assumption they are in reasonable repair, thus a state of disrepair to the dwelling would not affect the band. This will apply to situations  (a) and  (b).

Lighting

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on night time street lighting and efficiency savings.

John Healey: No guidance has been issued to local authorities by the Department that specifically deals with the achievement of efficiency gains by switching off street lights at night. The Department has issued general guidance to councils on the measurement of efficiencies; the current version of this guidance is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/reportingvfmguide

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) remit and (b) specification is of her Department's research project into unitary and pathfinder councils; and which body is undertaking the research.

John Healey: The Department has commissioned an evaluation of unitary and pathfinder local authorities being implemented following an invitation to local authorities to make proposals for their area alongside the October 2006 Local Government White Paper Strong and Prosperous Communities (Cm6939-1). An overview of the evaluation brief has been placed in the Library of the House. Following a competitive tender, a consortium comprising PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Office for Public Management and Cardiff Business School is undertaking the first stage of the evaluation.

Local Government

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects of the Central-Local Concordat on local government since its introduction.

John Healey: Since the concordat was signed in December 2007, significant progress has been made, including:
	the signing of 150 local area agreements across all of England in June 2008, which means that councils and their partners can concentrate their efforts on the specific needs of the local people they serve;
	reducing the national indicators to a single set of 189 covering all the priority outcomes for which local authorities and their partners will be responsible for to Government. Each local area agreement has up to 35 of these agreed as priorities. This will reduce the reporting burden on local government;
	implementing, as approved by Parliament, the proposals from local government for nine unitary councils which will be fully up and running from 1 April 2009;
	the passing of the Sustainable Communities Act in October 2007 as a way of empowering councils and citizens to shape their communities in the way that best suits their needs;
	the devolution of parish governance arrangements in February this year and proposals for devolving certain byelaw powers;
	greater financial flexibility in relation to providing for local decision-making on spending priorities and funding which demonstrate the Government's commitment to providing local government with additional freedom and flexibility to use the funding they have in the most appropriate way to fit their local circumstances. This has been achieved through:
	the first ever three-year finance settlement which has given local government the flexibility to make longer-term plans and investments funded through an extra 8.9 billion for local government over the CSR07 period. We have announced three year individual allocations by both number and value for all specific grants where it is possible to announce them in advance;
	a major change in the controls on capital spending through the introduction of the Prudential Borrowing regime which empowers councils to make the best decisions for their areas on the level of borrowing they think is affordable to support spending on capital projects;
	by 2010-11, moving 5.7 billion into general grants which are not ring-fenced, to allow councils to spend money on the issues that matter most too local people;
	reducing the overall amount of ring-fenced funding (excluding schools) over from 11.2 per cent. in 2008-09 to 8.0 per cent. in 2010-11;
	reducing the number of specific revenue grants from 83 separate specific revenue grants that were provided in 2007-08, to 47 in 2009-10, which lifts the bureaucratic burden on councils;
	the introduction of the Business Rates Supplement Bill.

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which provisions of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 have not yet been brought into force.

John Healey: Following Commencement Order No 8 which was made on 3 December 2008, the vast majority of provisions within the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 have now been commenced. These include the successful negotiations of all 150 local area agreements (LAAs) which were signed-off on 30 June 2008 and the implementation of nine new unitary councils, approved by Parliament, which is on track for 1 April 2009.
	There are three areas which have taken longer to implement than the estimated timetable set out in the November 2007 Implementation Plan. These are:
	Community Governance (parishes reform)including new arrangements for appointing parish councillors. We are aiming to bring the appointment of councillors' regulations into effect in the spring.
	Devolution of byelaw powers - originally listed for implementation from April 2008, the Department intends to have the provision for devolving byelaws, both in terms of local authorities being able to make certain byelaws without their needing to be confirmed by the Secretary of State, and to enforce new byelaws through Fixed Penalty Notices, in force by April 2009.
	Overview and Scrutiny arrangements, incorporating the Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) powers. The Department is committed to implementing these new arrangements in an integrated package by April 2009.
	A final version of the White Paper Implementation Plan will be published in the spring.

Local Government Delivery Council

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership of the Local Government Delivery Council is; and when the Council was established.

John Healey: The Local Government Delivery Council was established in September 2007. Its members are set out in the relevant section of the website of the Improvement and Development Agency at
	www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=8001602.
	.

Local Government Delivery Council

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) budget and (b) remit of the Local Government Delivery Council is.

John Healey: The Local Government Delivery Council has been supported through the Improvement and Development Agency since it was established in September 2007. Its objectives are set out in the relevant section of the website of that Agency at
	www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageld=8001600#contents-1

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what government funding is related to local authority achievement of local area agreement targets.

John Healey: Performance Reward Grant is paid based upon performance against Local Area Agreement targets. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 24 June 2008,  Official Report, column 265 W - 269 W and also to my announcement to the House in February 2008 of least 340m to continue this financial incentive for LAAs agreed in 2008.

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any local authority which has increased council tax revenue through reviewing or reducing the number of households entitled to council tax discounts or exemptions has sought her Department's agreement to count that increased revenue as an annual efficiency saving.

John Healey: Our guidance to councils states that efficiency savings are realised where
	an organisation is able to: reduce inputs for the same or improved outputs; reduce unit costs to meet increased demand; or optimise use of assets to improve outputs from them.
	It also states that
	new sources of income or increases in the level of existing charges should not be counted.

Local Government Finance: Carbon Emissions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities will be compensated under the new burdens principle for costs arising from the introduction of the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

John Healey: The Carbon Reduction Commitment is not a new burden. The Government have determined that there are no net additional costs to local authorities.

Local Government: Bank Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice  (a) her Department and  (b) the Audit Commission has given to local authorities on depositing funds with financial institutions outside (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) the European Union.

John Healey: Neither the Department nor the Audit Commission provide advice to local authorities about the financial institutions in which they should deposit funds.

Local Government: Bank Services

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects local authorities to recover funds which they had deposited in Icelandic banks; and what proportion of those funds she expects will be recovered.

John Healey: The Government's priority has been to do everything that we can to help local authorities, along with other creditors, to get back the money which they had deposited in the banks. HM Treasury is continuing to work closely with the Icelandic authorities to ensure fair treatment for all UK depositors and creditors. The Local Government Association are co-ordinating activity on behalf of local authorities, and local authorities are representing themselves at creditors' meetings.

Local Government: Data Protection

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what restrictions there are on the sharing of  (a) electoral roll and  (b) council tax data between departments within a local authority.

John Healey: Regulation 107 of the Representation of the People Regulations 2001 places restrictions on use of the electoral register by the local authority. In summary no councillor or employee of the council may
	supply a copy of the full register to any person other than to another councillor of or employee of the same local authority;
	disclose any information contained in it that is not included in the edited register; or
	make use of any such information.
	It is a matter for local authorities to decide whether to share council tax data between departments within their organisation.

Local Government: Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administration costs of each individual scheme within the Local Government Pension Scheme were in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: Details of the administration costs of each of the 89 individual pension funds within the Local Government Pension Scheme in 2007-08, the latest year for which figures are available, are shown in the following table. The information is taken from annual returns submitted to the Department by scheme administering authorities in England and Wales.
	
		
			   000 
			   Administration costs  charged to the fund 
			 Barking and Dagenham 617 
			 Barnet 832 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1,985 
			 Bedfordshire 1,212 
			 Bexley 660 
			 Brent 1,047 
			 Bromley 454 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,315 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,873 
			 Camden 555 
			 Cheshire 1,743 
			 City of London 708 
			 Cornwall 629 
			 Croydon 1,004 
			 Cumbria 1,035 
			 Derbyshire 1,067 
			 Devon 1,346 
			 Dorset 1,184 
			 Durham 1,276 
			 Ealing 640 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 1,748 
			 East Sussex 1,347 
			 Enfield 538 
			 Essex 2,267 
			 Gloucestershire 1,238 
			 Greenwich 905 
			 Hackney 936 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 995 
			 Hampshire 2,547 
			 Haringey 595 
			 Harrow 1,060 
			 Havering 571 
			 Hertfordshire 1,854 
			 Hillingdon 648 
			 Hounslow 862 
			 Isle of Wight UA 443 
			 Islington 1,323 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 494 
			 Kent 2,768 
			 Kingston upon Thames 521 
			 Lambeth 942 
			 Lancashire 2,590 
			 Leicestershire 1,356 
			 Lewisham 439 
			 Lincolnshire 1,044 
			 London Pensions Fund Authority 5,370 
			 Merseyside Pension Fund 2,490 
			 Merton 214 
			 Middlesbrough UA 1,357 
			 Newham 663 
			 Norfolk 1,494 
			 North Yorkshire 1,189 
			 Northamptonshire 1,717 
			 Northumberland 825 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,164 
			 Oxfordshire 958 
			 Redbridge 492 
			 Richmond upon Thames 830 
			 Shropshire 985 
			 Somerset 698 
			 South Yorkshire Pensions Fund Authority 3,154 
			 South Yorkshire PTA 152 
			 Southwark 1,098 
			 Staffordshire 1,919 
			 Suffolk 1,147 
			 Surrey 1,404 
			 Sutton 493 
			 Tameside 3,588 
			 Tower Hamlets 946 
			 Tyne and Wear Superannuation Fund 3,545 
			 Waltham Forest 633 
			 Wandsworth 372 
			 Warwickshire 1,141 
			 West Midlands Pension Fund 3,760 
			 West Midlands PTA 283 
			 West Sussex 926 
			 West Yorkshire Superannuation Fund 5,212 
			 Westminster 896 
			 Wiltshire 991 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 673 
			 Worcestershire 881 
			 Cardiff UA 1,202 
			 Carmarthenshire UA 765 
			 Flintshire UA 1,079 
			 Gwynedd UA 884 
			 Powys UA 548 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff UA 1,685 
			 Swansea UA 547 
			 Torfaen UA 1,308 
			   
			 Total 112,891

Local Government: Pensions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 343W, on local government: pensions, if she will place in the Library a copy of the report on the 2007 valuation exercise produced by each local authority pension fund.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 July 2008,  Official Report, column 349W.

Local Government: Pensions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate of the unfunded liability in present value terms of the Local Government Pension Scheme was made in each valuation held since 1997.

John Healey: The funding position of the 89 pension fund authorities in England and Wales is determined by actuaries appointed to carry out each authority's triennial valuation. There have been three valuations since 1997 in 2001, 2004 and 2007.
	Details of funding levels at each valuation are not held centrally but a summary of the 2004 and 2007 exercises undertaken by the Society of County Treasurers can be found at:
	http://www.cipfa.org.uk/panels/pensions/download/2007_LGPS_Valuation_Survey_Results.pdf.
	.

Local Government: Public Participation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 21 February 2008,  Official Report, column 912W, on surveys, whether a report on the Place Survey pilots has been published; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the conclusions of the evaluation of the pilots.

John Healey: Two final reports, which summarise the results of two separate pilot phases, were delivered by the external authors in December 2008. I expect to publish these reports in due course on the Communities and Local Government website and will place copies in the Library of the House.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many charters conferring the status of a borough have been granted by Her Majesty the Queen through the Privy Council Office since May 1997; and in which local authority areas such charters have been granted.  [Official Report, 2 April 2009, Vol. 490, c. 9MC.]

John Healey: Eight Charters have been granted since May 1997 conferring borough status to the districts of Brighton and Hove, Medway, North Lincolnshire, Telford and Wrekin, Wokingham, Cheshire West and Chester, West Lancashire and Cheshire East.

Local Government: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on the political affiliation of each member of the interim authority established to run Shrewsbury Town Council between March 2009 and June 2009.

John Healey: This information is not held by the Department.

Local Government: Statistics

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many items of data local authorities are required to collect for the purposes of  (a) compilation of the national indicator set and  (b) data returns to her Department outside the national indicator set.

John Healey: The data items required to underpin the national indicator set are either collected by individual Whitehall Departments or input directly into the Data Interchange Hub by local authorities. The NIS hand book, available at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/finalnationalindicators
	gives details of the data required for each indicator.
	Regarding data returns outside of the national indicator set, work is underway within the Department to categorise all data collections and implement a 30 per cent. reduction in data collected by May 2010. This in line with the commitment made in the Local Government White Paper to limit data collection to that which is necessary for reasons such as financial management and policy development. Until this work is further advanced, the number of data returns which local authorities are required to continue to collect could be established only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has recently published an update to its simplification plan, which is available at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1094604.pdf.
	This contains a list of data which the Department has already stopped collecting for local authorities and also sets out other activity underway to reduce the burden of data collection.

Local Government: Termination of Employment

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on severance packages given to local government officials who are sacked for not properly fulfilling their duties.

John Healey: The Department issues no guidance on staff severance arrangements. Decisions to terminate a local authority employment, for any reason, are a matter for the local authority involved.

Microgeneration: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology the Valuation Office Agency uses to calculate the value of microgeneration equipment within  (a) a domestic and  (b) a non-domestic dwelling.

John Healey: The basis of valuation for domestic dwellings is market value. For a new dwelling, the degree to which such fixed equipment would affect a band would be an estimation as to what effect, if any, such equipment would have on the market value, and hence banding, of the dwelling. No improvement will affect a valuation band on an existing dwelling unless:
	(i) there is a subsequent sale, and
	(ii) any such measurable increase is significant enough to move the value to a higher band.
	There is, strictly, no such thing as a non-domestic dwelling in local taxation.
	The same principles, however, would apply to the domestic part of a composite dwelling (a part domestic/part non domestic property), where the microgeneration equipment was provided for the domestic portion.

Non-domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much additional revenue the higher multiplier on large and medium-sized businesses raised in England in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08.

John Healey: The following table gives details of the amount (in  million) that local authorities in England reported they raised from the higher national non-domestic rates multiplier.
	
		
			million 
			 2005-06 306 
			 2006-07 311 
			 2007-08 133

Non-domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an impact assessment has been undertaken of the effect on local businesses of the change in the rate of national non-domestic rates effective from April 2009.

John Healey: BERR guidance
	www.berr.gov.uk/files/file44544.pdf
	on impact assessments states that they are not required where a predetermined formula, such as the rate of inflation, changes the rate of a tax.

Non-domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the change in revenue accruing from supplementary business rates as a result of the 2010 rates revaluation.

John Healey: No estimate has yet been made of the change in revenue accruing from business rate supplements as a result of the 2010 rates revaluation.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons were for the time taken in  (a) publishing and  (b) laying before Parliament regulations on (i) empty property and (ii) small business rate relief.

John Healey: The proposed changes to empty property rates and small business rates relief announced at the pre-Budget report are due to be implemented from 1 April 2009.

Non-Domestic Rates: Business

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the effects of the economic downturn on local authority revenues from business rates.

John Healey: Local authority revenues are unaffected by the amount of income from business rates which fluctuates from year to year. The distributable amount of business rates is one component of Formula Grant. The Government have announced totals for Formula Grant for 2008-09 to 2010-11. Within the total Formula Grant for each year, the amount of Revenue Support Grant varies to compensate for fluctuations in the distributable amount. The Government have delivered the first three year settlement for individual local authorities providing the predictability and stability which allow them to deliver effective services and to plan to deliver continued efficiency gains to help residents and local businesses in the current economic climate.

Non-Domestic Rates: Business

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what way the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive Scheme is being built systematically into the business rates system.

John Healey: The Local Authority Business Growth Incentives (LABGI) scheme has operated for three years, taking increases in business rateable value as a proxy for economic growth. The Government have recently consulted on proposals for a revised LABGI scheme for 2009-10 and 2010-11, which will take increases in business rate yield as the proxy. We intend to see the LABGI principle mainstreamed as part of the local government finance system. It will be subject to review and consultation, and to decisions made during future spending reviews.

Non-Domestic Rates: Business

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable for publication of the new rateable values for each local business based on the 2010 rating list arising from the 2010 business rates revaluation is; and in which month she expects new bills be sent to local firms.

John Healey: Valuation officers in England and Wales will publish a copy of the new rating lists that they propose to compile (known as the draft rating lists) on 30 September 2009. The lists proper (known as the compiled rating lists) will be published and will come into effect on 1 April 2010.
	Distribution of rates bills is a matter for local authorities. Regulations require that the bill is served by 1 April of the year due, or as soon as is practical after.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assumptions on the number of non-domestic properties affected by recent changes to empty property business rate relief were made for the purposes of the most recent impact assessment made of those changes.

John Healey: VOA records show that 70 per cent. of all properties are under the 15,000 exemption threshold announced at the pre-Budget report and if these are unoccupied in 2009-10 they will not pay empty property rates. We have assumed that there will be no significant increase in the number of claimants of empty property relief and that the distribution of empty properties below the rateable value threshold of 15,000 will follow that of all non-domestic properties. We have based our costs of the amendment on the rateable value below this threshold.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many non-domestic dwellings are liable for empty property business rates.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to answer given by the Minister with responsibility for Housing, my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Iain Wright) to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1493W.

Non-domestic Rates: Inflation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect on business rate revenue should the retail price index measurement of the rate of inflation fall below zero;
	(2)  what effect negative retail price index inflation would have on the business rates multiplier for the relevant year.

John Healey: No such assessment has been made. The impact of the retail price index on business rates is determined by a formula in the Local Government Finance Act 1988, schedule 7, which outlines how to calculate the business rate multipliers using the RPI figure.

Non-domestic Rates: Licensed Premises

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a licensed premises is eligible for exemption from empty property business rates in circumstances where the licence has been suspended by a local authority for up to three months, but where occupation of the premises has not been prevented.

John Healey: Empty property rates apply where a property is unoccupied and those properties that are not liable for empty property rates are set out in section 4 of the Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property) (England) Regulations 2008.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the new business rate valuation lists for British ports.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1283W.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the merits of applying transitional relief to lower retrospective increases in business rates levied on businesses in the registered ports.

John Healey: The current transitional relief scheme allows properties which first came on to the rating list on 1 April 2005 as a consequence of an existing property being split (as is the case with the property in ports) to be allocated a certified rateable value for 31 March 2005 (see regulation 17 of the Non-Domestic Rating (Chargeable Amounts) (England) Regulations 2004.
	The purpose of the certified value is to ascertain whether the increase in the rateable value of property which has been split or merged from the 2000 to the 2005 rating lists results in an increase in rates in respect of that property and therefore to ascertain whether there should be an entitlement to transitional relief.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the statement of the Minister for Local Government of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 600, 
	(1)  whether changes to the ratings system of businesses in the registered ports will be revenue-neutral;
	(2)  what the estimated increase in net revenue in business rates from the changes to rateable values made over the 2005 to 2009 period is; and whether the revenue was taken into account in the business rate revenue estimates prepared for the pre-Budget report 2008.

John Healey: The purpose of the review is not to raise revenue but to ensure that all rateable property pays its fair amount of rates, from the point the property should be rated, and with all businesses being treated equally.
	Individual changes in rateable values of the ports and businesses within the ports are variable; some have increased while others have decreased. I am unable to be specific about the effect on revenue, as calculation of bills and any reliefs that may be due, are matter for individual billing authorities. However, the estimated cost of the Schedule of payments policy allowing certain backdated liabilities to be spread over eight years was set out in the pre-Budget report.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the statement of the Minister for Local Government of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 600, whether the 9 million increase in net rateable value was set as an international objective of the change in the way in which rates on businesses in the registered ports are calculated.

John Healey: No. The intention was to ensure that all rateable property pays its fair amount of rates, from the point the property should be rated, and with all businesses being treated equally.

Non-Domestic Rates: Public Houses

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 773W, on public houses: non-domestic rates, whether  (a) darts boards and  (b) pool tables will be taken into account when valuing licensed premises as part of the 2010 business rates revaluation.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency's Rating manual, Volume 5, Section 825 sets out the basis of valuation for licensed premises. This is available on their website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk

Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many non-domestic dwellings are  (a) eligible for and  (b) claiming small businesses rate relief.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alan Duncan) on 29 April 2008,  Official Report, column 319W.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's documents for the 2010 rates and revaluation  (a) Urinal Cost Guidance and  (b) Pop-up UrinalsCost Guidance.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency's operational instructions on the 2010 rating revaluation relating to urinals are available in the Rating Manual Volume 5 Sec 625 Practice Note 1:2010 which is published on its website:
	www.voa.gov.uk

Parish Councils: Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 353-54W, on parish councils: council tax, what estimate her Department has made of the average band D parish council precept for 2008-09.

John Healey: No estimate has yet been made of the average Band D parish council precept for 2008-09. A figure will be published in Local Government Financial Statistics England No 19 that is to be published later in the year.

Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which month she expects the Infrastructure Planning Commission to start considering planning applications.

John Healey: Our expectation is that the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) will be ready to begin receiving applications in spring 2010. When applications are made is a matter for the project promoters.

Regional Assemblies: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) budget and  (b) administrative costs were of each regional government office in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the administrative cost of each in 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: The budget/administration cost figures for the Government offices for financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08 are as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  GO  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 East 12,841.51 15,075.61 13,296.12 12,211.64 11,398.50 
			 East Midlands 11,153.67 11,937.13 12,530.66 11,490.17 10,857.39 
			 London 16,654.91 18,870.09 18,483.70 17,595.20 16,198.99 
			 North East 12,167.24 13,887.09 13,138.16 12,730.25 11,826.45 
			 North West 16,808.94 17,777.86 17,745.45 16,933.67 16,095.53 
			 South East 14,099.03 14,372.51 14,624.51 13,677.13 13,105.84 
			 South West 13,960.23 14,724.92 14,823.08 14,570.49 13,763.68 
			 Yorks and Humber 12,480.23 13,453.18 13,494.30 10,676.64 13,447.21 
		
	
	The administrative budget for each GO in 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			  GO  2008-09 
			 East 9,505.75 
			 East Midlands 8,951.99 
			 London 12,002.99 
			 North East 9,723.87 
			 North West 12,208.56 
			 South East 10,613.61 
			 South West 10,645.94 
			 Yorks and Humber 9,125.90

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's timetable is for the implementation of conclusions arising from the consultation on the Sub-National Review.

John Healey: Provisions to implement reforms relating to regional strategies, local authority economic assessments and sub-regional governance arrangements are included in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill, which is currently before Parliament.
	As the Government's response to the consultation stated, the Government have concluded that legislation is not needed to the deliver the spirit of the reforms relating to delegation of regional development agency functions to local authorities. Guidance on a new investment planning approach involving RDAs, local authorities and other delivery partners will be published in summer 2009.

European Charter of Regional Democracy

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what response the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has made to the Recommendation by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe on the draft European Charter of Regional Democracy; and what assessment she has made of the content of the Recommendation.

John Healey: Whilst the official level Steering Committee has now advised, with the support of the UK delegation to that Committee, that no further CoE resources should be used to pursue a legally binding convention on regional democracy, I understand that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has not yet responded to the Congress on their Recommendation. Whilst recognising the value that regions can have for democracy, the Government has consistently opposed a prescriptive legally binding charter of regional self-government on the grounds that democratic regional institutions are not a pre-requisite for a modern democracy and it is for each state to decide, having regard to what its people want, whether to adopt any regional governance structures.

Reposessions: Mortgages

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications were received for the Mortgage Rescue Scheme in December 2008, broken down by individual Fast Tracker Authority.

Margaret Beckett: The Government's Mortgage Rescue Scheme was fast tracked by 76 local authorities on a voluntary basis from 1 December 2008.
	An informal telephone survey of approximately half the fast track local authorities was conducted by officials at Communities and Local Government on 5 January 2009. This showed that up to 200 approaches had been made, resulting in approximately 80 cases meeting the eligibility criteria. We are putting in place formal monitoring arrangements from early February.
	We continue to work closely with all participating local authorities following the Mortgage Rescue scheme's official launch on 16 January 2009.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham of 4 September 2006,  Official Report, column 1681W, on Valuation Office Agency, which property attribute variables may be used in billing authorities.

John Healey: All variables which are based on property attributes, used in modelling in the Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model, may be used in billing authority areas.

Valuation Office: Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) domestic and  (b) composite properties in England have an entry on the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model database; and how many have one or more digital photographs associated with an entry on the Agency's databases.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model is not in itself a database. The Agency's central database stores the data that feed into its automated valuation modelling.
	The number of domestic properties in England with a live council tax band was 22,354,681 as at 30 November 2008. Of these, 832,982 had one or more digital photographs associated with them. The number of composite properties in England with a live council tax band was 284,843 as at 30 November 2008. Of these, 13,190 had one or more digital photographs associated with them.

Valuation Office: Legal Costs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what legal costs were incurred by  (a) the Valuation Tribunal and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency in relation to the legal action on the rating of coffee shops within bookshops which concluded in September 2008.

John Healey: In the valuation tribunal appeal concluded in September 2008 on the rating of coffee shops within bookshops the Valuation Office Agency incurred legal costs of 600 plus VAT; the Hertfordshire Valuation Tribunal incurred no legal costs.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency utilises property data from estate agent industry organisations other than Rightmove.co.uk plc.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency makes use of freely available and publicly published information from the estate agent industry to support its current work and reduce the burden on taxpayers.

Waste Management: South East

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership for the South East has given to the Waste Improvement Network.

John Healey: The budget for the Waste Improvement Network for 2008/9 is 90,000 of which DEFRA contributes 45,000 and the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership for the South East contributes the remaining 45,000. This is an annual cost for the service and contributions are expected to remain around the same for 2009/10 and 2010/11.